


We Can Learn To Love Again

by Too_Much_Fandom



Series: Marriage counseling [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Jewish Character, Eventual Smut, F/M, Makeup Sex, Making Up, Marriage, Marriage Counseling, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rocky Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:15:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25109836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Too_Much_Fandom/pseuds/Too_Much_Fandom
Summary: It's nearly eight years and two kids into their marriage, and Newt and Tina Scamander are struggling with constant arguments. Desperate to fix their rocky marriage, they seek marriage counseling.
Relationships: Tina Goldstein/Newt Scamander
Series: Marriage counseling [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1991236
Comments: 73
Kudos: 93





	1. Tell Me That You've Had Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Buckle up for an angsty ride, folks. I love my OTP, but nobody's perfect even the best of them sometimes hit a rough patch, so here is a little thought experiment on what it might look like if Newt and Tina needed a little help with their marriage. Besides, one of my favorite things about these two is that they are so real. It would make sense that they might have some relationship struggles over the course of their lives together.
> 
> Now, purely in terms of historical accuracy, I'm aware that this would make more sense as a modern AU, however, I ultimately decided that Newt and Tina have enough going on in canon that they could use some therapy, so I decided to keep them in universe, in their time, canon compliant (at least as far as we know now) and we will simply suspend our disbelief and have the anachronism that marriage counseling as we know it currently is a thing that exists in this story. 
> 
> I'd like to give a huge thank you to Kemara for beta'ing and helping me bounce ideas around!! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think below!

Tina seethed as she made her way down to the basement. Logically, she knew she should be taking the time to calm herself down. No good was going to come from unleashing her anger. But her nerves were just frayed to breaking, and there was no help for it. 

The events of the evening hadn’t helped. The kids had fussed and bickered all through dinner, and Newt hadn’t done much more than half-heartedly mutter at them to cut it out and to listen to their mother. Then, citing a need to get started on the evening rounds with the creatures, he’d disappeared down to the basement, leaving her to wrangle their exceptionally cranky offspring into bed. To add insult to injury, Tina noticed the kitchen full of dirty dishes that Newt hadn’t even bothered to clean up before slinking away.

“Hiding again in the basement, as usual,” she snarled, as she caught Newt hunched over his desk, scribbling away on some parchment. 

“Yes, I’m only doing my job,” Newt muttered in annoyance, “seeing as I care for the children all afternoon until you get home for dinner.”

“Well, maybe if you actually disciplined them properly, they wouldn’t be so difficult to handle!” Tina snapped. 

Newt was too angry and resentful to feel hurt, and simply reached for a clap-back to send Tina’s way. “Maybe if you weren’t so unreasonably hard on them-”

“Are you calling me a bad mom?” Tina reeled. 

“You all but called me a bad dad!” Newt pointed out. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Tina muttered.

“Didn’t you?” Newt snarled.

“What has you so touchy tonight?” Tina huffed.

“Excuse me, I’m not the one who stomped down here spoiling for a fight!” Newt answered defensively. 

“Damn it, Newt!” Tina cried out in frustration, “damn it all to hell! You don’t even bother listening to me! You think everything is fun and games, like you can do your own thing and not take anything seriously, leaving me to handle everything you screw up!” 

“Bloody hell, woman!” Newt snapped back, “all you do all day is nag and boss everyone around and I’m sick and tired of it!” 

Both of them were so furious that sparks flew from the ends of their wands even though the wands were both safely holstered. Tina opened her mouth to reply, but was stopped by the sound of their daughter’s voice ringing out from the stairs.

“Mummy? Daddy? Why do you have to yell so much?” Six year old Yael’s voice called out to them. Both parents sputtered and stopped, and had the decency to look ashamed as they took in her furrowed brow and sad brown eyes. 

“We were just having a...um...a loud discussion, sweetheart,” Tina stammered out with an unnaturally high pitch.

Newt, relieved at the merciful ending to yet another miserable, unsolvable argument, offered to help her back to bed. “Come, Yaelli,” he scooped her up tenderly, “I’ll put you back to bed. I’m so sorry we woke you.” 

As he made his way up the stairs with his daughter in his arms, he and Tina shared a glance. The discussion was tabled, for now, but it wasn’t over. 

“Why, daddy?” Yael asked again as her father tucked her back into bed, “why do you and mummy get so angry and fight so much?” The question pierced Newt’s heart, both on behalf of his child, who was clearly affected by her parents’ ever more frequent and nasty arguments, and for himself and his wife. How had things gotten to such a low point? 

“Well, Yaelli,” he told her as he soothingly stroked her raven dark hair, so like her mother’s, “sometimes people argue, even people who love each other very much. You and Ari fight quite a bit yourselves, but it always works out in the end,” he grinned, and Yael nodded in understanding. 

“Mummy and I sometimes get a little tired and cranky and say things we shouldn’t,” Newt continued assuring his daughter, “and you’re right, we should try harder not to let that happen. Always know, mummy and I love you and Ari very much, and we love each other too. Don’t you worry, my little princess, now, back to sleep with you.”

Yael yawned and rolled over, and Newt gently kissed her forehead. He then crossed the room to where his three-year-old son, Ari, was still fast asleep, with his thumb in his mouth. Newt kissed him on the forehead too, before leaving the room and heading to his own room for the night. 

Tina was already in bed when he came in, curled on her side. Newt silently changed into his pajamas and slid under the covers on his side of the bed. 

“Tina, love?” he called out softly in the dark. Tina merely grunted in reply. 

Newt sighed. He wanted to gather her in his arms, but knew she was probably too angry to want it. “I’m really sorry. I love you. Sleep well,” he finally settled on, before rolling onto his own side.

“Love you too,” Tina muttered robotically, before sighing into sleep. 

Newt felt his eyes drooping. It wasn’t that late, but the argument had really exhausted him. And he knew what he had to do. It was a familiar routine by now…

Sure enough, over breakfast, he let Tina know about his plans for the evening. “I’d like to take you out for dinner tonight, dear,” he told her. Tina just shrugged sullenly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make all the arrangements,” Newt assured her, squeezing her hand.

“Are you sure?” Tina asked nervously, “I dunno, I’m not sure I want-”

“I’ll swing by the bakery before going to the Ministry,” Newt assured her. 

The kids’ ears perked up at the mention of the bakery. “Does that mean Uncle Jacob’s coming to babysit?” Yael asked excitedly. 

“Uncle Jacob! Uncle Jacob!” Ari banged his spoon on the table gleefully. He got so excited that bubbles flew out from the end of the spoon. Neither Newt nor Tina could help chuckling at that. 

“Oh, all right,” Tina conceded with a dramatic sigh.

“It’ll be a lovely night out, I promise,” Newt pecked her on the cheek. 

After that, it was time to drop the kids off with Mrs. Figg, who homeschooled them alongside her own daughter, Arabella. Newt generally left the Ministry in the early afternoon and picked the kids up, and they worked (or more accurately, played) alongside the creatures until Tina came home for dinner. 

Today, after dropping the kids off, Newt stopped at the bakery before heading to work. “Hey, Newt!” Jacob came out of the kitchen with a wide, warm smile and a clap on the back as Newt walked in, “so, what should I arrange in the basket today?”

“Really, Jacob, you don’t need to fill up a basket every time, you’ll spoil the children…”

“It’s my job, as their uncle, to spoil them,” Jacob chuckled. 

“Well, then you can bring the basket later this evening,” Newt conceded.

“Ah, another romantic outing arranged, then?” Jacob waggled his eyebrows. Newt just smiled vaguely. “Well, good on you,” Jacob patted his shoulder, “and of course I’ll babysit my favorite niece and nephew tonight!” 

“Thank you so much, Jacob,” Newt said earnestly. 

“Think nothing of it, my friend,” Jacob insisted, “now, have an occamy danish before you go to work.” Newt couldn’t say no to that. The currant danishes shaped like occamies were his favorite. 

Newt’s elevated mood was rather deflated by the time he and Tina actually left for their night out. The day had consisted of frustrations piled upon frustrations. Tina herself had had a difficult day and was still clearly wounded from the previous evening. She was not particularly excited to be going out and was clearly just going through the motions. Nevertheless, the frazzled couple kissed their children goodnight, assured Jacob they wouldn’t be out too late, and walked out the door, hoping for a much-needed boost from their date. 

Newt had planned a technically wonderful date, but the romantic music playing in the background of their opulent dining surroundings grated on Tina’s ears. The sound of the waiter’s voice was irritating, the flowers on the table were lifeless to her, and the expensive champagne Newt had ordered felt like sawdust on her tongue. They’d been through this dance too many times, and it didn’t help, it didn’t fix whatever it was that had been going wrong between them in the last...well, she wasn’t even sure how long it had been since their marriage had first started showing cracks. 

Newt was holding her hand tenderly, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles in that practiced and familiar way, speaking sweetly to her, though she wasn’t registering what he was saying. It didn’t matter what the words were, she knew he was trying to smooth things over after what had happened last night. But there wouldn’t be any lasting changes. He’d continue being his fun-loving, overly lax, loose-cannon self without regard for what messes he left for her to fix. She’d continue to simmer with anger and resentment, lashing out at him when it boiled over, and he’d lash back at her defensively, followed by more dates, roses, gifts, and other romantic gestures as a way of apologizing, mere bandaids on a festering wound. 

“Newt,” Tina finally interrupted him, taking a deep breath to say what she knew she needed to say. She drew her hand away, and Newt gave her a wounded look. Mercy Lewis, that look never failed to punch her in the gut. It made her feel like she’d done something as horrid as kicking a baby niffler. She took a deep breath again. It had to be said.

“This isn’t working,” she said bluntly.

“Wh-what isn’t working?” Newt inquired nervously. 

“This date,” Tina explained, “it doesn’t make up for what happened last night. For what’s been happening for...well, for a while now.” 

“But-but-” Newt stammered, but Tina shook her head vigorously.

“We have some serious problems, Newt, something is broken between us, and it’s not something that can be fixed with some roses and champagne,” Tina vented, “and I don’t want a fancy night out. I don’t want an apology for something that you’re just gonna do again in a few days.” 

“Tina, darling, I-I...I love you, more than anything,” Newt pleaded desperately as Tina pushed her plate away and stood up to leave. 

“I know, and I love you too,” Tina whispered tearfully, “but at this point, it just ain’t enough…” and with that, she strode out of the restaurant. 

Newt slammed two galleons down on the table and ran out after her. “Tina!” he called out, and she turned around, “what on earth is that supposed to mean?” 

As he caught up to her, he wrapped his arms around her, and she looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. “I don’t know,” she whispered hoarsely, “I don’t know...just...let’s just go home, Newt,” she sighed heavily. Newt nodded, and they were gone with a whoosh. 

Jacob was having a fairly enjoyable evening with his niece and nephew. He loved them dearly, and each year since Queenie’s betrayal, he was coming closer to accepting that they were likely to be the closest he’d ever come to having children of his own. It had been nearly nine years since Paris, and Queenie had yet to see the error of her ways. Jacob had started anew in England, supported his best friend and should-be sister-in-law, and was mostly content with his baking and unclehood, though the hole in his heart left by Queenie would never close all the way. 

Yael and Ari roughhoused and giggled, one or the other of them sometimes releasing a burst of magic. Jacob was quite used to this by now. Newt and Tina had explained to him when Yael was a baby and first started randomly releasing magic that this was entirely normal among young witches and wizards, and not something they could control until they began magical training at age eleven. 

Unfortunately, Jacob wasn’t quite sure why or how, the children’s squeals of delight and camaraderie suddenly changed to shrieks of anger and offense. He gave them a few moments to try to work it out between themselves; one thing that was universal among both magical and non-magical children was that siblings fight. All the damn time. 

The yelling got worse and, concerned that it might soon get physical, Jacob got up to separate the sparring siblings. “Whoa, whoa! Stop it, kids!” 

As he pulled the children apart, Yael shrieked, “damn it, Ari! Damn it all to hell!”

“Bloody hell, woman!” Ari angrily shrieked back. 

“What in the name of…” Jacob reeled in shock, before gathering his composure and scolding the children, “that ain’t no way to talk to people! Especially not a brother or sister!”

“It’s how mummy and daddy talk to each other when they’re angry,” Yael shrugged, and Ari nodded in confirmation. 

Jacob bit his lip. Newt and Tina were the two most stubborn, hard-headed people he knew, and they’d been bickering from the moment they’d met, though most of the time it was good-natured and light-hearted. He also suspected they’d been struggling a bit the last...year? Year and a half? But that was normal. They’d been married nearly eight years now, with two little ones, demanding careers, and a war going on that they were both involved in. He was not surprised that the stress was getting to them. But he’d had no idea it had gotten this bad…

“How...how often is this sorta thing happening with your mom and dad?” Jacob asked tentatively. 

“All the time,” Yael said, casting her glance downward.

“Mummy and daddy yell a lot,” Ari added. 

“I see,” Jacob nodded slowly, then, not knowing what else to do, “hey, kids, it’s getting past your bedtime anyway, whaddaya say I read you guys a story?” 

“Yay!” the kids yelped in unison, all arguments forgotten. Jacob herded them to bed and pulled out a book.

When he was finished, Ari was fast asleep, cuddling his niffler doll and sucking his thumb. Jacob fondly patted his mass of cinnamon curls. The little fella was a carbon copy of his father, just as Yael was a clone of her mother. 

Yael was still awake. “Uncle Jacob?” she called out in the dark, and he sat on the edge of her bed, “why do mummy and daddy fight so much? They’re always so angry with each other.”

“I don’t know, sweetheart,” Jacob shook his head, “probably grownup stuff. Nothing for you to get too worked up about,” he assured her. 

“Grownups always say it’s ‘grownup stuff’ when they don’t want us to know things,” Yael pouted.

“You’re a smart cookie, sweetheart,” Jacob chuckled and patted her head fondly, “but it’s true, kids ain’t meant to know everything. The important thing is that your mom and dad love you and your brother very much. And they love each other very much too, even if it don’t always seem that way.”

“That’s what daddy said after their big fight last night,” Yael said skeptically. 

“And your daddy is absolutely right,” Jacob assured her, “now, go to sleep, pumpkin.”

Jacob was just closing the door to the children’s room when he heard Newt and Tina coming in the front door. He could see the weight on their shoulders and the heaviness in their eyes, and he knew he had to say something. 

“What the hell’s going on with you guys?” he asked bluntly, and they looked up at him in shock, not knowing what to say.

“Is it that obvious?” Newt managed to recover from his surprise. Now that he’d admitted it, he stared shamefacedly at the floor. 

“Yeah, it is,” Jacob replied, “and worst of all, the kids know it. They was fighting, and said some things to each other that were...not the kinda things you expect to hear from little kids.”

Newt and Tina were too embarrassed to speak. Jacob walked over to them and placed an arm around each of them. “Have you...have you two thought about marriage counseling?” Then, noting their stunned looks, “is that even a thing for wizards?”

“I...I heard of it,” Tina said quietly, “but I dunno, do you really think-”

“Of course not,” Newt scoffed, “marriage counseling is for people who have really big problems, who might even be thinking of...divorce,” he barely managed to choke out the last word.

“No, you don’t have to be that close to the brink,” Jacob insisted, “in fact, it’s better if you try it before things get to that point.”

“Are you saying you think-” Newt glowered before Jacob interjected.

“No, no, not at all! But it does seem you guys have enough of a problem to need some help.”

Tina was blushing fiercely and had tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Newt was shaking his head adamantly. 

“Guys, it ain’t nothing to be ashamed of,” Jacob assured them, “it’s common, especially with all you guys got going on in your lives...you got into a bit of a rut is all. And it’s ok to need a bit of help. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.” 

When he was greeted with more silence, he headed for the door. “I don’t mean to overstep. But just...think about it? Please?” The couple simply nodded together, and Jacob stepped out before they could all properly say good night.

Newt and Tina got ready for bed silently. The air around them was thick with tension. The failed date hung over them, pressing on them alongside last night’s fight, as well as all the other fights they’d had, especially since things had begun spiraling so out of control between them. They each got into their respective sides of the bed and turned painfully away from each other. Both wanted to reach out to the other, but neither really knew how. 

What had happened between them? Their nightstand was cluttered with moving pictures documenting all the happiness of the last nine years. That first date, a couple of weeks after Paris. Newt kissing Tina’s cheek as she proudly flashed her ring, just after he’d proposed. Newt twirling Tina around joyfully as they both beamed on their wedding day. Holding their children the day each of them was born, looking between each other and the children with pure love and adoration. Various shots of general happy family moments. What had changed, and why? And how could they bring back that spark? 

Finally, Tina spoke. “Newt, I think Jacob is right. I want to try marriage counseling.”


	2. Just give me a reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt, though skeptical, agrees to Tina's request for marriage counseling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been making decent progress with writing this up, so here you go, a day early. Let me know your thoughts below!

“You...you want counseling?” Newt stammered, “I mean, do you really think it’s necessary? Why don’t we just talk it all out?”

“Did you even listen to a damn thing I said over dinner?” Tina cried out in frustration, “talking it out, simple apologies...it ain’t working! And whenever we try to talk about stuff, it just turns into another fight. I’m tired, Newt,” she looked up at him, boring into him with those salamander eyes that he’d fallen in love with nearly a decade ago, “I’m tired of fighting. What we’ve tried hasn’t worked, and it’s time to try something new.”

Newt saw the desperation in her eyes and nodded. He was still skeptical, but she clearly wanted to try this. “Let’s talk more about it in the morning,” he told her, cupping her cheek gently. Tina nodded back, then rolled away to curl up on her side and go to sleep.

Newt wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. But he did realize that in addition to their constant fighting, their passion had been severely dulled. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d kissed--really kissed, more than a peck here and there. Even their intimate life wasn’t what it once was. Lately, they’d been doing it about twice a month, sometimes even less, and it had become more an item on a checklist than true intimacy. He missed her. Missed them. And he was ready to do whatever it took to bring them back on track. 

The next morning they went through the usual morning rush of getting the kids ready, fixing breakfast, and dropping them off with Mrs. Figg. Then they headed to the Ministry together. They were just about to head off their separate ways when a familiar voice called out to them. 

“Ah! My favorite brother and sister in law!” Theseus called out from across the atrium, “care to join me for breakfast in my office?”

“We had our breakfast already,” Newt started to say when Theseus cut in.

“Then you can keep me company while I eat at my desk,” Theseus insisted. 

Newt and Tina shared a quizzical glance but followed Theseus to his office. Once there, Theseus pulled out his wand and cast a bunch of soundproofing charms, before slamming a newspaper on the desk and demanding of the couple, “What the bloody hell is going on with you two?”

There, in front of them, a headline blared  _ TROUBLE IN PARADISE?  _ with a picture right below of Newt hurrying after Tina as she stormed out of the restaurant the previous evening. 

“Actually,” Theseus shook his head, “I’m not sure I really want to know. But whatever it is, can you at least learn to keep a bloody row behind closed doors, where it belongs? Merlin’s saggy bollocks, we don’t need this kind of press coverage! Just, figure it out, alright?” 

“Yes, sir,” Tina mumbled as she and Newt both nodded in agreement. 

“Good. Well, then,” Theseus undid the charms and opened the door, “off to work with you two.”

“Well then,” Newt bit his lip awkwardly as they left the office and he headed out to the lift so he could go to his own department, “you’re right. We need to try this-this...counseling. I’ll make some inquiries today.” 

“Thank you,” Tina whispered gratefully, squeezing his hand. Newt pecked her cheek as the lift opened and he stepped inside. He had his work cut out for him today. It was a good thing he had his own office, discretion would at least be a fairly simple matter. 

Before he knew it, it was time for him to pick up the kids. When they got home, he brought them down to the basement with him. Of course, he and Bunty were technically working down there, but though the kids were allowed to “help”, it was more play for them. At 5:30, Bunty was getting ready to leave.

“Erm, Newt…” she said delicately, gesturing to the children, who were covered in mud from head to toe, “I think you’d do well to take a break and get the children washed up before Tina gets home. You know how, erm,” she blushed in embarrassment, trying to find the right words, “you know how she gets about this sort of thing.”

_ Merlin’s arse, how many people know about my shaky marriage?  _ Newt scowled momentarily but then plastered on a smile to thank Bunty for reminding him, before ushering the kids upstairs for a bath. 

For once, things went right. He waved his wand as he passed the kitchen to get dinner started, and it was simmering nicely by the time he herded the kids into the bath. The bath went quickly and smoothly, and Newt was able to keep an eye on dinner at the same time. Tina came home to a hot dinner and sweet-smelling pajamaed children and Newt breathed a sigh of relief. Tonight, at least, he was not in the doghouse. 

Until Tina’s eyes caught a trail of mud leading from the basement stairs to the bathroom, and her tentative smile morphed into a practiced frown. “You let them play in the mud again.” It was a statement, not a question. 

“You know, there’s this wonderful new invention called a bath,” Newt rolled his eyes irritably, “and in case you haven’t noticed, we made use of it recently.”

“While leaving mud on the floor!” Tina yelled in frustration.

“And you know, we have these things called wands-” Newt started drily.

“I don’t want to walk in the door after a hard day of work to have to do a bunch of house cleaning spells!” Tina cut in, “it’s not fair Newt!”

“And it’s not fair that after both working and caring for the children, I am subjected to nothing but complaints and nagging,” Newt growled. 

Ari began to wail, and Tina scooped him up and hoisted him on her hip as she began harshly summoning the place settings over to the table. Yael’s lip silently quivered, and Newt put an arm around her and escorted her to the table. The couple glowered at each other all through setting the table and all through dinner, barely speaking and just letting the kids’ chatter fill the silence. 

Finally, as they got up from the table, Newt sighed and handed Tina a slip of parchment. “Let’s start over. I did the thing you asked me to. More details downstairs, after they’re in bed?”

Tina nodded sullenly. Newt kissed his children goodnight. “Sleep well, my favorite creatures,” he said softly, “please don’t give mummy a hard time tonight, she’s had a long day.”

Yael and Ari promised, and Tina gave Newt a grudging nod before escorting them to their room to tuck them in. 

Half an hour later, Tina nervously made her way down to the basement, parchment in hand. “So, you found someone?” she called out, and Newt immediately looked up from his work. 

“Yes. Her name is Deanna Diggory, and she comes highly recommended,” Newt explained, “I sent out an owl inquiry and she has room in her schedule to see us. How does...how does lunch break, Thursday sound?”

“I guess,” Tina shrugged tiredly, then turned around to head back upstairs. Newt heaved a sigh of disappointment. Was it so much to ask for a bit of appreciation for his efforts? 

Tina knew she should say something. It was simple, really. Was her resentment that heavy that she couldn’t even thank her own husband? Slowly, she turned around. “Newt?” she called out softly and he looked up expectantly. “I...thank you. Thank you for arranging it.”

Newt wished she would have kissed him, touched him, given him some praise and affirmation. But, he supposed, if it were that simple, they wouldn’t be requiring the services of Deanna Diggory. He hoped to Merlin this counseling thing actually helped. There was nothing to do now but wait till Thursday. 

Before they knew it, Thursday had come. Since Newt didn’t really answer to anyone at work, popping out for lunch was a simple matter for him. However, Tina generally ate lunch at her desk. If she didn’t want Theseus asking uncomfortable questions, she was going to need to tell him something. 

When she got up to leave, she first stopped in his office. “Hey, um, I just thought you might, um, want to know,” she stammered, “me and Newt, we, um, we thought about what you said the other day. We’ve decided we need to spend a little more time together, and, um, so, every Thursday we’re gonna be taking lunch together now.”

Theseus broke into a wide grin. “Oh, Tina, that’s wonderful,” he said earnestly, “I knew you two would work it out. You have something special between you, you know... Always cherish it…” he trailed off, glancing wistfully at the photo of Leta he kept on his desk. 

Tina felt horribly guilty. Indeed, she had a lot to be grateful for, even though her husband did drive her up a wall. “Well, um, yeah, so I’m off to go meet him now,” she nodded vigorously as she stumbled out of the room. 

“Yes, yes,” Theseus muttered fondly, “and don’t worry too much about being back exactly on time.” 

Newt and Tina sat nervously across from a kindly witch who looked to be about Tina’s age. She wore robes the color of the sea and had long, wavy chestnut hair. She spoke with a calm, reassuring voice that cut through the tension between the couple that sat before her. 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Scamander. You can call me Deanna. I commend you for making the choice to seek the help you felt was necessary, and I look forward to working together with you to help you meet your goals as a couple.”

The couple glanced at each other, then at Deanna, then back at each other. Simultaneously, they clasped hands, something they realized they hadn’t really done much lately. It felt nice to know that through all the hurt and resentment, there was still a kernel of love in there. Neither of them knew what counseling was supposed to look like, and did not know what was in store. But they had taken this first step toward repairing things, and for now, that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 points to your House if you got the Star Trek reference ;-)


	3. We're not broken, just bent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Tina attend their first counseling session.

“I suppose we ought to start with what brings you here, and what you hope to achieve,” Deanna addressed the nervous couple.

Newt and Tina had no idea where to start, nor how they could start discussing their most private matters with a total stranger. Finally, Tina managed to speak up.

“We...we’ve been arguing a lot,” she mumbled, staring shamefacedly at her hands.

“About what?” Deanna asked, completely objectively.

“Everything, really,” Tina whispered hoarsely. Deanna looked over at Newt, who nodded sadly in confirmation. 

“How long has it been like this?”

“Not really sure,” Newt said quietly, “but too long. Well over a year, at least.”

“Yeah, we can’t really remember when or how it started, I don’t think it was just one thing either,” Tina added, “it just sorta…”

“Happened,” Newt finished for her. 

“Well, these things do happen,” Deanna told them sympathetically, “especially at the stage of life in which you find yourselves. You should know, it really is much more common than you think.”

Newt and Tina weren’t sure what to make of that, though the knowledge that they weren’t alone in their predicament removed a bit of the shame. 

“Now, why don’t we start at the beginning,” Deanna smiled warmly, “how did you two meet?”

A kind of dazed, dreamy look came over Newt’s face, and Tina couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. 

“I was on a trip to America, back in ‘26,” Newt began with a shy smile, “I was only supposed to be in New York for a few hours, you see, before catching a train to Arizona…”

“Except he couldn’t keep his damn case locked,” Tina snorted bemusedly, “and his niffler escaped in a bank of all places, would you believe it?”

“So, um, I chased the little bugger all over the bank, that’s also how I met my best friend, Jacob,” Newt grinned, “but the problem was, Jacob is a muggle…”

“...And you performed magic in front of him and failed to obliviate him,” Tina crossed her arms, “which, as you know, if very illegal. I’m an auror, it’s not like I had a choice…”

“Technically, you weren’t an auror at that time,” Newt reminded her.

“Wait...didn’t have a choice in what?” Deanna asked, trying to follow.

“Not to put too fine a point on it, but I first met my wife when she arrested me,” Newt bit his lip and blushed crimson. 

“Ah, I see...so you didn’t quite get off to the best start, then,” Deanna nodded in understanding. 

“No, I suppose we didn’t,” Tina chuckled fondly, “but things turned around pretty quick after that. We got caught up in a bigger situation that turned out to involve Grindelwald, and by the end of all that, well, we...we…”

“Fell in love,” Newt said softly. 

If Deanna was amused, or charmed by how the couple before her had come to be, she didn’t show it. She kept up a calm, objective demeanor. “When did you realize you were in love?” 

“It was a day and a half or so after we met,” Newt blushed lightly, “see, we were on the run, and hiding in my case, along with Jacob and Qu-Tina’s sister. We were talking about our school days, and the sisters started singing the Ilvermorny school chant, and, well, there was Tina, standing there singing, and I just knew, I was forever gone...”

“And you?” Deanna turned to Tina.

“A couple of hours later, when the obscurial began demolishing New York,” Tina blushed in turn, “his name was...well, is, he’s still alive and out there,” she choked up, “his name’s Credence. I knew him as a boy, long before we knew he was an obscurial...anyway, I knew MACUSA was gonna try to kill him, but Newt ran after him, putting himself in danger...to save him. And that’s when I knew.”

“And when did you start seeing each other?” Deanna inquired.

“Well, it wasn’t easy, me being in New York and Newt being here in London,” Tina explained, “plus, we were both too shy to say anything at first...”

“To be honest, we were both rather foolish,” Newt interjected, “it’s a story on its own, but it took ten months for us to actually start a-a...a romance. October of ‘27, we finally had our first date.” 

“And would you say you’re still in love with each other?” The question was blunt and hit hard. The fact that it even had to be asked was painful.

“Well, of course we are!” Newt blurted out, “even in our worst moments, I still know we are...aren’t we, Tina?” he turned to her nervously.

“Yes, we are,” Tina looked away, afraid to look him in the eye, “but it’s like I said the other night, it ain’t enough…”

“And I still don’t understand what the bloody hell that’s supposed to mean!” Newt snapped.

“It means you say you love me, but you keep doing things that frustrate and upset me, and you apologize, but then you keep doing the same things again! How the hell am I supposed to understand that?” Tina vented, “I don’t feel very loved or cared for when you can’t even bother to-”

“And how the hell do you think I feel when you make it quite clear that I can’t do anything right? That I only bugger everything up?” Newt challenged her. 

“If you didn’t act so much like you’re my third child-”

“Well if you didn’t act so much like you’re a combination of my mother and my boss-”

“Damn it, Newt, you-” Tina started, then sputtered to a stop when she remembered there was another person in the room. “I’m sorry…” she said guiltily to Deanna.

“No, there is nothing to apologize for,” Deanna insisted, “this is a place where both of you need to be able to safely let your frustrations out. That way, we can begin to find the root of the difficulties and work to repair things.”

Newt and Tina were, at this point, turned away from each other and both staring at the floor, feeling a mix of anger, shame, and fear. Could this woman really help them stop the fighting and find the real love again? 

As if reading their minds, Deanna spoke up once more. “I think you’re already at an advantage,” she explained, “it’s clear to me that the love is very much still there. And you came here, sought me out, even though it’s not easy to admit to needing help, which means you’re both willing and ready to work hard to bring the spark back to your marriage. It won’t be easy,” she warned them, “the counseling process is hard, even deeply painful at times. But the fact that you’re ready to do this and still remember that there is love between you two is a good sign. You can get through this and come out stronger. Now, to that end, I want to give you an assignment for the week-”

“Assignment?” Newt asked incredulously.

“Yes, Mr. Scamander,” Deanna replied without the slightest hint of discomfort at being questioned, “you only see me once a week. In order to make sure that what we do in here is effective, you and Mrs. Scamander will be given things to focus and work on between sessions.”

Newt nodded in understanding, and Deanna continued. “This week, you’ll be working on remembering what brought you together in the first place. I want you to take a few minutes each day this week to write down one thing you love about the other. When you return here on Thursday, you will share those things with each other.”

The appointment concluded, and it was time to go back to work. Neither Newt nor Tina had much time to really digest everything that had happened, focused as they were on getting through the rest of the day. However, they managed to maintain a truce all the way through dinner and getting the kids to bed. 

Finding themselves alone and with some quiet time, they retreated to separate nooks to get to work on Deanna’s assignment. 

For Tina, understanding the assignment was easy. Counseling had been her idea, and she desperately wanted it to work. Presumably, Deanna knew what she was doing, so if she thought this assignment would help, well, she was happy to put in the work and do it. 

The problem was actually figuring out what to write. Oh, she loved her husband, and knew a million reasons for it. She wouldn’t be willing to fight so desperately to save their marriage otherwise. The problem was, it was hard to consciously recall all those reasons when she had spent much of the last year or two feeling like she wanted to defenestrate him rather than actively loving him. 

Newt, meanwhile, was down in the basement having the opposite problem. He was able to immediately jot down a reason why he loved his wife. However, he was the more skeptical one about the value of counseling to begin with. Tina had insisted, and so he was going along with it, but what was listing the reasons for loving each other supposed to do, exactly? 

He loved her every day, and she loved him back (at least, she said she still did). That didn’t stop them from having row after row with no end in sight. What was this assignment going to accomplish that they hadn’t been able to manage on their own? He eyed the parchment drearily as the ink dried. All he could do was follow instructions and hope next Thursday would bring some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos and comments are appreciated!!


	4. I'm sorry I don't Understand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Tina keep working on their assignment throughout the week. And have a few more clashes along the way.

Newt started to feel a little hopeful the next day, when several tense moments arose between himself and Tina, but did not boil over. Clearly, they were both restraining themselves, likely through a combination of remembering what they’d written last night, and trying to think of what they were going to write tonight. 

The truce continued all through Saturday as well. Unfortunately, by Sunday morning, they found themselves sliding back into their routine of sniping at each other over everything. It started with a literal crash.

Tina leapt out of bed, racing toward the site of the crash. Newt headed over too, but much less urgently. Whatever it was the kids had broken, surely it could be fixed with a simple spell. Tina was already scolding the children by the time Newt made it to the living room, where a ball sat on the floor among shards of broken glass. 

“How many times do I have to tell you, no playing ball in the house!” Tina yelled in frustration as Yael and Ari hung their heads.

“Really, now, kids will be kids,” Newt leapt to their rescue, “and besides, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a simple spell.”

“But they know not to play ball inside! They know it’s not allowed!” Tina cried out in frustration, “and it’s time they learned to listen. We have rules in this house and they need to be-”

“Your rules are ridiculous and unrealistic!” Newt snapped.

“Like you know anything about following rules,” Tina huffed, “fine role model you are for your children…”

“All you ever do is yell at them and tell them no! When do they ever get the chance to just be children?” Newt shot back, then, grabbing each of them by the hand, “come, children, looks like Mummy needs a break, let’s go to Fortescue’s.”

“What…? You can’t just…” Tina sputtered as Newt steered the children to the fireplace.

“I can, and I will,” Newt said bluntly as he thrust a fistful of Floo powder in, and took the children for ice cream before Tina could protest further. He didn’t see Tina tearfully storm out the door.

Tina wandered around the block muttering to herself. Her emotions swirled around inside her like a raging storm. Righteous indignation at Newt undermining her parenting, refusing to discipline where discipline was necessary...and yet, she felt guilty for yelling at the kids again. She didn’t have to yell…

And now, they were out enjoying ice cream with their father. A reward for bad behavior. And yet, it would be another fun memory of good times with dad, while all they’d ever remember of her was getting into trouble. No, she needed to step up, do better...But how? Could she really ignore the fact that they’d broken rules, and needed a consequence? 

Well, Newt was clearly of no help, perhaps right now she needed to just let it go. And she needed to let it go with Newt too. They were, after all, trying to stop fighting. And so much of the fighting was started by her, if they were to improve matters, she’d also have to be the one to choose to stop, now and then. Maybe this time, she could hold back, be the one to stop it from spiraling out of control. Could she do it? There was only one way to find out. She turned on the spot, Fortescue’s pictured clearly in her mind...

At the ice cream shop, Newt ordered large sundaes for himself and the children. But as they sat at the table, Yael stared mournfully at hers. 

“What’s wrong, Yaelli, did you change your mind about the flavors?” Newt asked. 

“No, it’s just...well, Mummy is upset that we came here. I don’t want to eat ice cream if it upsets Mummy.” 

Ari’s ears perked up at that, and though he’d only taken a few messy bites, he too pushed his ice cream away, stating, “I don’t want to make Mummy sad.” 

Newt was very flustered. “It’s just ice cream, children. You’re not making Mummy sad,” he insisted, but the children just stared anxiously at their sundaes, refusing to eat. 

“So, should we just go back home?” Newt sighed resignedly, and both kids nodded. They got up to leave when suddenly, Tina strode into the parlor. 

“Mind if I join you guys?” she said sheepishly. Newt looked at her quizzically, and she gave him the we’ll-talk-about-this-later glare.

The kids didn’t notice. “Mummy!” they cried out happily and hugged her, “come have ice cream with us? Please?” 

Tina smiled, “I’ll just sit with you here. I’m sorry I yelled earlier. Enjoy your ice cream.”

The children dug in, while the parents sat silently, not really looking at each other. Tina smiled indulgently at the kids, but Newt, still feeling sore about their argument just glowered at her. She surely couldn’t expect him to get over it that easily. 

After ice cream, the family returned home and headed to the basement together. The children ran off to play with Dougal while Newt and Tina began to work on various chores. Tina tried to engage Newt in innocuous conversation, but he wasn’t having any of it.  _ Let her figure out what it feels like to be thought of as a constant screw-up,  _ he told himself as he pointedly ignored her peace overtures. 

Tina generally liked spending her weekend in the basement, as she didn’t get to spend nearly as much time with the creatures as she would have liked during the week. Today, she was hoping the time together with Newt might bridge the gap and ease some of the tension.

“Are you really still on about this morning?” she grumbled, as Newt set down a barrel of water a little too hard, causing water to slosh out onto their feet, “I mean, for Morrigan’s sake, I ended up joining you guys in the end! Even though I still think they shouldn’t have gotten ice cream after their behavior!”

“And what the hell else was I supposed to think? You yell at the children for normal childish antics, yell at me for not handling it the way you want, get upset when I take them out, and then, because you changed your mind, I’m supposed to just move on like nothing happened?” Newt vented angrily. 

“At least I’m trying!” Tina snapped back tearfully, “you did something wrong, but I tried to let it go. I tried to loosen up, like you’re always telling me, and you don’t even care! I’m tired of being the bad guy all the time!” 

“You wouldn’t need to be the ‘bad guy’ if you didn’t insist on being so hard on the children! They’re children, for Merlin’s sake!” Newt growled, his face now just inches from Tina’s.

“Oh, that’s the game you want to play? Fine! They’re children! They need to learn good habits and appropriate behavior now, while they’re young! And I wouldn’t have to be the bad guy all the time if you didn’t spoil them rotten all day-” 

“And I wouldn’t need to indulge them so much if you didn’t treat them like little soldiers all-”

A blur of silver fur flashed as Dougal stood between them with his arms out, forcing them to step apart. His blue eyes flashed dolefully. Yael and Ari came up behind him, their own eyes just as wide and sad as Dougal’s. Their parents sputtered to a stop.

Newt and Tina turned away from each other, ashamed that they’d once again lost control in front of their kids. Worse, Dougal was now mediating their rows. This was going to be hugely embarrassing to recount at their next session with Deanna…

Tina broke the heavy silence. “I’m sorry, kids...That wasn’t right of us. Let’s go upstairs and start dinner.”

The family trudged upstairs together. Dinner was the usual awkward affair it tended to be in the aftermath of a fight. Newt and Tina barely spoke to each other, focusing mainly on the kids. The kids were overly fussy and uncooperative. Ari, in particular, wailed and banged his spoon on the table and Yael snapped at him to stop being such a baby. Ari wailed louder while Tina scolded her for being mean to her brother. Newt quickly hustled them to bed as soon as it was all over. 

Tina was still washing up from dinner when he came out. He could tell she was still seething because she was washing them by hand rather than by magic. He decided against reopening the conversation and instead slipped back down to the basement. 

After finishing the evening rounds, he sat at his desk to work on the fifth edition of his book. However, he caught the parchment with his counseling assignment out of the corner of his eye. How on earth was he supposed to do the assignment tonight, after how ugly things had been today? Well, he supposed that was the point. He set his manuscript aside and took some time to write down today’s reason for loving Tina…

When he came back upstairs, he found Tina at the table scribbling away at her parchment. He was tempted to try to peek, but Deanna had said that they were to share at Thursday’s session, so he peeled himself away and headed to bed. His heart warmed slightly knowing that Tina was also taking care to do the assignment, despite clearly being so angry with him. He swore internally that tomorrow, he would try to behave better. 

Tina heard Newt walking to their room. She wanted to look up at him, but didn’t want him to see her red rimmed eyes. When she wrote out her today’s reason for loving Newt, all she could think about was how rotten she’d been to him lately, and she was filled with painful guilt and remorse. She knew she needed to do better, and she hoped to Morrigan that Deanna could help, because for some unfathomable reason, she couldn’t seem to do what she had to do herself.

Tears streamed down her face as she climbed into bed. Her body shook with sobs, though she remained silent. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she handle her feelings normally? Why was she constantly on edge? Queenie would know what to do. But she didn’t have Queenie. Nine long years without her sister, and her heart ached just as much as it had the day after. But Newt tried, Sweet Morrigan, the man tried so hard! Why wasn’t that enough? She sobbed harder. 

In the darkness, she felt his hand lightly brushing her shoulder. “Tina?” he called out tentatively.

“It’s nothing,” she sniffed, just as she always did when she didn’t know how to explain what was wrong.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he said, bringing his arms around her, “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“I deserved it,” Tina whispered painfully, “I deserved every bit of it.”

“No, never,” Newt insisted.

Tina shook her head and cried some more. She didn’t want to talk anymore, it was all too overwhelming for her. Newt held her closer and kissed her forehead, something he hadn’t done in ages. Thinking about it made her cry harder. Newt didn’t know what to say. He kept holding her as she cried herself to sleep.

Only when Tina’s breathing evened out as she slipped into unconsciousness for the night did Newt let go. “I do love you,” he whispered in her ear, though he knew she was already asleep and wouldn’t really hear him, “even if I don’t always show it as I ought to. And we will get through this. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts below! See you next week!


	5. My dear, we still have everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Tina learn some things about themselves in counseling, and have a renewed determination to make things work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for disappearing for 2 weeks! I had a nasty depressive episode and couldn't get anything done. I'm feeling a little better and hoping to get back on track soon. 
> 
> Also, I've planned some future chapters, and there will definitely be a bit of smut, so I'm changing the rating to M.

The rest of the week leading up to the next session was fraught, and strained, but involved no further blowups. The couple showed up for their Thursday appointment wrung out and exhausted from their efforts at restraint. 

“Hello,” Deanna greeted them with her warm, calming demeanor, “I trust you two carried out your assignment?” 

Newt and Tina mumbled in the affirmative and held up their respective scraps of parchment. “Excellent,” Deanna smiled, “now, we will get to sharing them a little later, but first I’d like to talk about how things went this week.”

Newt and Tina sat there sullenly, unsure of how to start. Finally, Tina broke the silence. 

“The week had its ups and downs,” she admitted.

“Could you elaborate on what you mean by that?” Deanna asked.

“We did fight a little less, I think,” Tina explained, “but we still had some real doozies.”

“Would you agree with that?” Deanna turned to Newt. 

“Yes,” he said quietly. 

“What would you say is the most common source of disagreements between you two?”

“The children,” Newt and Tina mumbled simultaneously. 

“Well, that’s very normal, and very common,” Deanna assured them, “much of how we view raising children comes from how we ourselves were raised, so perhaps we should explore that a little. Newt, can you tell me a bit about what your parents were like when you were growing up?” 

“Erm, well,” Newt shifted uncomfortably, trying to think about how to answer, “they were very demanding. High expectations. Critical, I suppose. I never really did anything right in their eyes. I still don’t, if we’re being perfectly honest.” 

“And how did that make you feel?” Deanna prompted.

“Well, I didn’t like it much, that’s for certain,” Newt chuckled anxiously, “and I’ve always had, well, I guess you could say, trouble with rules and authority. Though I’m not sure which caused the other. Was I always troublesome, so they had to be strict, or were they always strict, so I became troublesome?” 

“Those are some interesting observations,” Deanna noted, “and it’s likely a little bit of both. Now, when it comes to your own children, do you follow your parents’ methods, or do you tend toward the opposite?” 

“The opposite,” Newt muttered, biting his lip and staring at the floor.

“Definitely the opposite,” Tina huffed resentfully.

Deanna turned to Tina. “So I take it you don’t appreciate his laxity with the children?” 

“No,” Tina sniffed, “I mean, it’s great that he plays with them and they have fun together, but there’s no discipline! And he spoils them rotten! They are terribly coddled and-”

“Well someone has to lighten up around them, all you know how to do is treat them like mini adults!” Newt snapped. Tina burst into tears and he instantly regretted his words. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so harsh,” Newt reached out to squeeze Tina’s shoulder, but she turned away, still crying. 

“Tina?” Deanna called out softly.

“I’m s-sorry,” Tina hiccuped, before blowing her nose into a handkerchief, “I didn’t mean to lose it like that.”

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry for,” Deanna reminded her, “both of you are safe to express your feelings in here. It’s important so that we can explore those feelings. What I’m understanding is that Newt is the more lenient parent, and you are the more strict parent, and this is a source of conflict. But what I caught just now is that you, Tina, are not necessarily fully happy or confident with your own parenting style either.”

“What makes you say that?” Newt raised a skeptical eyebrow, “I mean, why would she do things the way she does if she didn’t believe in it?”

“I’m going to let Tina answer that for herself,” Deanna explained, “though I think the fact that she is upset by your insinuation that she’s too strict might indicate that at the very least, she’s not fully confident that she’s doing the right thing. Am I correct, Tina?”

“Maybe, I dunno,” Tina shrugged sullenly.

“Well, Newt’s shared a bit about his upbringing, why don’t we talk a little bit about yours?”

“I didn’t have much of an upbringing,” Tina whispered painfully, her eyes filling with tears again. Newt reached for her hand, and this time, she let him take it. He gave it a comforting squeeze. 

“What do you mean by that?” Deanna prodded.

“I was orphaned when I was nine,” Tina explained, “there was a terrible epidemic amongst the wizarding community in New York. Dragon pox. My parents were gone within the span of a week, and it was just me and my sister after that.”

“I’m so sorry,” Deanna nodded sympathetically, “so where did you go?”

“There was an orphanage, run by MACUSA,” Tina continued, “it was overcrowded, especially after the epidemic. There were a lot of orphans left behind. My sister and I shared a bed, and we shared clothes. There wasn’t really a lot of food or a lot of supervision, so we spent a lot of time roaming the streets, scrounging for what we could.”

Newt knew Tina’s story inside out, but his heart broke anew every time she mentioned it. He’d spent the last nine years making sure she never knew any sort of material deprivation; she deserved to never know it again. He squeezed her hand once more.

“Things were better, easier, once we were both at Ilvermorny,” Tina explained, “though we still had to go back to the orphanage over the summer. But anyway, yeah, nobody raised me past nine. And I had to sorta raise my sister...that’s another story…” she sighed heavily. 

Deanna nodded sagely. “I asked you both to talk about your upbringing because how we were raised shapes our lives tremendously, particularly when it comes to raising our own children,” she explained, “now, here’s what I’m seeing from each of you: Newt has chosen to be lax, in direct contravention to how his parents handled him. He does not want to be harsh and authoritative like they were, and perhaps goes a little too far in ensuring the opposite.”

Newt opened his mouth to say something, but Deanna held up a hand, “we are going to spend some time exploring everything, but please let me finish. Newt not only wants to do differently than his parents, but feels like he’s being scolded by his parents when Tina criticises him, causing him to either shut down or lash out. Tina, however, lost her parents at a young age and was forced to grow up far too soon. There seems to be an underlying anxiety, fear perhaps, certainly not baseless in these trying times with a war going on in the wizarding world, and likely soon to erupt in the muggle world as well. Tina wants to make sure her children are not overly coddled, that they will be able to look after themselves and each other should something happen to the both of you. Although at the same time, she’s somewhat aware that perhaps she is at times too strict, and is not entirely confident in her methods.”

Newt and Tina looked at each other and then back at Deanna. “I...that definitely makes sense,” Tina mumbled, and Newt nodded in agreement. 

“Now,” Deanna explained, “we have a few things we need to do here. We can work specifically on coming to a compromise on how to handle the children. The fact is, you both can afford to challenge yourselves a little. Children do need boundaries and discipline, and Newt is going to need to work on that. But they need fun and leniency too, and a chance to just be children, so that will be something for Tina to work on. But I think more importantly, we need to work on communication between you two, which will help in all areas where you find yourselves clashing.”

The couple nodded and awaited further instructions. “I think going forward, we’ll continue to explore your feelings and their roots, and do some communication exercises,” Deanna explained, “now, for this week, I want you both to work on using ‘I’ statements when discussing disagreements rather than ‘you’ statements.”

“I don’t understand…?” Newt interjected.

“No worries, I was just about to explain,” Deanna smiled, “I noticed that you both have a tendency to tell the other what they’re doing wrong. I’d like you both to work on instead saying what the problem is for you. Instead of saying ‘you do this thing I don’t like,’ try to frame it as ‘I feel this way when this happens.’ Bring up how you yourself are feeling about the situation. It should keep conversations calmer and also help share your perspective more effectively.”

The couple looked at each other shyly, but nodded. It sounded rather trickier than last week’s assignment, but they were going to try their best. If this is what the counselor though needed to be done, they had to at least try. 

“Oh, and one more thing before we finish,” Deanna reminded them, “it’s time to share what each of you wrote over the past week.”

“Tina, why don’t you go first,” Deanna smiled encouragingly. 

Tina swallowed and pulled the parchment out of her coat pocket. She began to read, first in a wavering voice, but grew stronger and more confident as she went on. “I...I love you because you are kind, to both creatures and humans. I love your smile, your laugh, and your impossibly messy hair. I know I too often criticise you for it, but I really do love your sense of fun and adventure, and your ability to let loose and be ridiculous. I love you for sticking to your ideals, no matter what, even if it’s not popular or gets you into trouble. You care most about what you believe is the right and just thing to do. I love you for your ability to see the world in ways no one else can. I love you for always being there for me and our children. I don’t appreciate you as I should, and I’m sorry for it, because I know you just want what’s best for our family and you always put us first.”

Newt’s eyes were shining brightly, and he reached out and tenderly tucked a lock of hair behind Tina’s ear, continuing to stroke her cheek as he pulled out his own parchment. “I don’t deserve you…” he whispered hoarsely, before clearing his throat to read his list.

“I love you for your bravery and daring. I love that you are truly a middle head; an idealist, who will do what is right even if it goes against the rules. I love your smile and your beautiful salamander eyes as much today as I did the day I met you. As silly as it sounds, I love the way you call me ‘Mr. Scamander’ when you’re angry with me. I love you for understanding me as nobody else in the world does. Nobody understood me until I met you. I love you for how you take care of our family in every way, even if I don’t always thank you as I should. You really are a wonderful mother and I don’t tell you that enough. I love you for being you.”

Tina was sobbing by the time Newt finished his letter. Newt was concerned, “did I say something wrong?”

“No, nothing is wrong,” Tina whispered, “I just...I didn’t realize...we’ve been fighting so much lately, and...I’m so sorry Newt! I’m gonna try harder to be nicer!”

“It is I who should be sorry, I need to be kinder,” Newt insisted.

“I can’t promise to turn on a dime,” Tina admitted, “but I am going to fight hard to get back to how happy we used to be.”

“Me too,” Newt agreed, scooping Tina into his arms and holding her tight as she sobbed into his shoulder, “I love you so much, and I know we can work through this,” he whispered into her hair.

“We will, I promise,” Tina whispered back, “I love you too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts and comments below!


	6. It's in the stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are running more smoothly as Newt and Tina implement the skills they're learning in therapy. However, news of Queenie threatens to derail their progress...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I am SO SORRY for disappearing for so long! After being laid off in April, I found a new job at the end of August and my kids started in-person school again, both of which have been good for my mental health! However, getting adjusted to a new job has meant less time to write, even when I finally started feeling better. Anyway, things are starting to settle into a rhythm, and I am feeling a lot better these days, so I've finally gotten the will to write again! Yay! I hope I can keep up the momentum and start updating consistently again! Thank you all for your support in the meantime, it really means a lot to me!

Working on what Deanna had told them to work on was easier said than done, but they managed alright that evening, fresh off such an intense session. The first opportunity to practice the skill of using “I statements” arose during dinner. 

“Mummy, how come Arabella Figg can’t do magic yet?” Yael asked innocently, between bites of mashed potato, “she’s the same age as me, and Ari is so little and does loads of magic!”

“Yael, it’s not polite to-” Tina started to reply in a scolding voice, but stopped herself when she saw Newt gazing warningly at her. 

Newt, for his part, was ready to jump in to defend Yael’s childish question, but likewise remembered to hold back. “It’s a reasonable question,” he settled on, “though your mother is right that it isn’t nice to pry, so I’ll just answer generally. Everyone is different. Magic can begin showing right at birth or as late as age eight,” he explained matter-of-factly. 

Yael nodded and went back to shoveling mashed potatoes in her mouth, while Ari babbled about his day. Newt and Tina shared a tentative smile. A small success was still a success. It had been a hopeful day after all. When they went to bed that night, they even held hands for a while, something they hadn’t really done much lately. 

A week can be long, and there were plenty of stresses throughout. The couple didn’t navigate all of them as well as they would have liked, but when they met with Deanna the following week, they were able to report a definite improvement. 

The weeks went by, and they worked together, with Deanna’s help both in and out of sessions, to communicate and find compromises, especially with their parenting. Things continued to improve, though there were setbacks, and naturally, still some raw feelings and sore spots from years of struggling. 

Jacob, who came for dinner at least once a week, noticed the calmer manner between the couple and complimented them on doing so well at getting back on track.

While their parenting issues began to settle somewhat, other points of contention soon began to emerge, including one that they had thought had been put to rest a long time ago. 

It started with an owl from Theseus one morning, asking Newt and Tina to meet him in his office, and to bring Jacob as well. This could mean only one thing: whatever it was Theseus wanted to discuss, it had to do with Queenie. 

The three sat nervously before Theseus’ desk, and the head auror got straight down to business. 

“We’ve intercepted a communication,” Theseus explained, “she has reached out to you again, Tina.”

Tina sat stiffly, trying not to betray too much emotion. This wasn’t the first time Queenie had reached out in the last nine years; they’d even met a few times. But nothing was ever resolved, and Queenie continued to stubbornly insist that she was right, that her work for Grindelwald was making the world a better and safer place for her loved ones. 

She glanced sideways at Jacob, his face a mixture of hope and anguish, and then at Newt, who was scowling. Of course he was. He’d made it quite clear over the years that he was never going to forgive Queenie for how she’d broken the hearts of both his love and his best friend. It had been an ongoing sore point between Newt and Tina from the moment Queenie had stepped through that ring of blue flames. 

Theseus either didn’t notice or didn’t care what everyone else was feeling at this revelation, and continued, “We would like to arrange a meeting if we can. Of course, Tina would be our first choice for such a meeting, as we know-”

“Oh absolutely not!” Newt interjected protectively, “have we learned nothing from previous attempts? It never ends well, I’ll not have you putting Tina that again!”

Now it was Tina’s turn to scowl. She wheeled around to face Newt. “It’s not your decision! You can’t tell me what to do! And I’m not some delicate flower that needs protecting!” she exclaimed hotly. 

“I’m not telling you what to do, I’m just suggesting-”

“Then what the hell do you call “absolutely not’ if it isn’t telling me what to do?” Tina huffed.

“We’ve been through this before, you know it never goes well,” Newt snarled, “and have you ever thought about what it does to me each time you-”

“You’re just biased ‘cause you hate my sister!” Tina spat angrily. 

“I do not-”

“Yes, you do, you-”

“Can it, you guys!” Jacob shouted over them, just as Theseus stood up and opened his mouth to express similar sentiments. He sat back down as soon as he saw that Jacob had their attention. 

“Listen, we’re all on the same team here,” Jacob continued, “just ‘cause we don’t agree on how to go about it...you guys have been doing so well lately, don’t let this drag you back down into constant arguing...let’s hear Theseus out, see what this is about, and then you guys can talk it over with your counselor before coming to a decision.”

Now it was Theseus’ turn to interject. “Counselor?!” he exclaimed incredulously, momentarily forgetting about what he wanted to do about Queenie’s latest communication, “you two have been seeing a counselor?” 

“And what of it?” Newt griped sullenly.

“Isn’t counseling for...for crazy people?” Theseus half-whispered, as his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. 

“Oh no it ain’t!” Jacob defended his two best friends, “it’s for people who need a bit of help in tough times! Ain’t no shame in counseling!”

Theseus was still not convinced. He turned back to Newt, “if anyone knew...you’ve got the Scamander name to consider, you know.”

“You and the Scamander name, just like dad,” Newt rolled his eyes, “I’ve got my wife to consider, you know…” and he took Tina’s hand in his.

Tina continued explaining the story to Theseus, “and it really has helped. Weren’t you the one who told us to get our act together? Well, we have. Or, at least come a lot closer to it.”

Seeing he was outnumbered, Theseus threw up his hands in resignation. “I suppose this is what you’ve been doing during your Thursday lunches together?” The couple nodded. “Well, if you say it works...just, please don’t let anyone find out about it, ok?”

Newt and Tina shared a bemused smile, but promised they were being discreet. With that, Theseus continued, “well, it seems Jacob is right, if you need...help sorting this out, then do that before making a decision about how to proceed. But you’ll need to know what you’re making a decision about. Queenie’s latest does sound like she has some information she’d like to share with her sister. It’s worth meeting just for that, without any further expectations of a reconciliation. Let’s start from there…”

With Theseus’ proposal laid out, Newt and Tina had their next sessions’ work cut out for them. 

“So, we need to discuss the issue of Tina’s sister,” Newt explained to Deanna at the start of their next session, “she has...been a source of arguments between since even before we were married.” Tina sighed in agreement. 

“Well then,” Deanna said kindly, “first, know that disagreements about in-laws are extremely common. We can work through this, step by step. Let’s start with you, Tina. She is your sister, after all.”

“More than that,” Tina said quietly, “after our parents died, she was all I had. For all those years. I had no one else, until I met Newt...When she ran off with Grindelwald nine years ago…” she choked up. After nearly 3 months of sessions, Tina was no longer embarrassed about tearing up and sometimes even crying openly during sessions. 

“Grindelwald?” Although Deanna never judged, even she couldn’t quite bury the note of shock in her voice, but she immediately recovered. “What happened? And how did that make you feel?” 

“It was at the infamous Paris rally, in ‘27,” Tina said flatly, “I had been in Paris for weeks already, and hadn’t seen her since I’d left. And there she was, at the rally, with her boyfriend Jacob, and I don’t know what happened, but it all went wrong...she walked through...she walked through…” 

Tina was overcome with emotion, and Newt took her hand. This was exactly why he could never forgive Queenie, not after what she’d done to Tina, where her choices were still doing to Tina all these years later…

Tina composed herself, and continued flatly, “She walked through the flames. And that was that. Ever since then, she’s been working for him...as for how I feel? Well, I suppose I feel how you’d expect. Shocked. Angry, betrayed. But also...well…” she looked toward Deanna, not really sure how to explain.

“That she’s still your little sister and you love her. And that you’re ready and waiting for her to come back,” Deanna finished softly for her.

“Yeah,” Tina agreed, “I know, whatever she’s up to now, she’s still good. She has a good heart. I know that hasn’t changed…”

“But you don’t agree,” Deanna turned to Newt. 

Newt bit his lip sheepishly. “It’s a little more complicated than that,” he admitted, “I don’t think she’s evil, it’s just, well, I find it difficult, to say the least, to see the good in her as Tina does. Not after all these years. Not after what she did to Tina, and to Jacob.” 

“Well, she’s my sister, I know her better than you ever will!” Tina insisted, “and I don’t need you to protect me from my own sister!”

“And you can’t force me to like her or want anything to do with her!” Newt retorted, “you can’t force me to feel less angry about what she’s done, what she’s been doing for nine years now!” 

Both Newt and Tina glowered at each other, faces just inches apart, as Deanna intervened. “Now, now, I understand emotions run high when it comes to Queenie, but how does it work practically?” she asked calmly, “after all, she’s been gone for a long time. She’s not a part of your daily lives.”

“I miss her every day,” Tina mumbled as her lip quivered. Nobody could argue with that. Even Newt recognized he had to back down for a moment. Then, she continued, “in any event, we just found out yesterday that she reached out again. The auror department wants me to meet with her, so Newt and I need to figure out what to do.”

“I see,” Deanna nodded in understanding, “and I imagine this decision is causing some tension between you two.”

The couple could only nod in agreement. Deanna continued, “I can’t promise to help you make a decision right here right now, but I can offer you some tools that can help you compromise calmly. I think first off, we should establish some ground rules.”

“What sort of ground rules?” Tina raised an eyebrow.

“Well, to start with, you’re both entitled to feel how you feel, and that must be respected,” Deanna explained, “Newt, you need to understand that as her sister, Tina will always love Queenie, and will want to forgive her should the opportunity present itself; but Tina, you need to understand that Newt does not have that same closeness with Queenie and does not love her as you do, and will not want to forgive so easily. Those premises are equally true of both of you, and it is not for either of you to persuade the other.” 

Both Newt and Tina nodded, agreeing to leave each other to their own feelings about Queenie. “As such,” Deanna continued, “each of you gets to decide how you relate to her. However, you will need to think about how certain decisions affect the other, and the children. You can each feel your own way, but when it begins to affect others, they have a right to their say.” 

This was the harder point to accept, and everyone in the room knew it. “So how do we decide, then?” Newt asked. 

“You use the skills we’ve been working on,” Deanna said plainly, “I statements. No accusations. Active listening. A willingness to compromise somewhat. Now, as I said, what to do with the current predicament, you’ll have to use all those tools to find an answer. But I do believe we should continue to discuss Queenie in the coming sessions.” 

The session ended, and the couple left, sobered, chastened, and yet hopeful that with this too, they could untangle the knot together, as they’d been untangling all the others over the last 3 months. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I did this bit justice. Please let me know your thoughts below!


	7. It's been written in the scars on our hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tina meets with Queenie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a new chapter. Gotta make up for lost time!

When Newt, Tina, and Jacob reconvened with Theseus the next day to discuss the plan for meeting up with Queenie, there was considerable less tension between the couple; Deanna’s advice to leave individual feelings out of the practical discussion proved invaluable. 

“Queenie’s letter is heavily charmed and we can’t break it,” Theseus sighed, “likely, the Fidelius was used, so it seems we don’t have a choice but to make arrangements for Tina to meet with her.”

“Does that mean Tina will have to be alone?” Newt asked apprehensively. He didn’t like the idea of Tina meeting up with someone from the other side, even if it was her own sister, without some backup in case things went wrong.

Tina opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it. She knew her sister would never hurt her, but the point wasn’t to try to sway Newt’s deep seated distrust of Queenie. “I’ll keep my badge on me, so I can signal for help quickly if it comes to that,” Tina assured him, and that mollified her husband for the moment. 

Theseus then handed the letter over to Tina, who immediately saw the location where Queenie was waiting for her to come meet. She felt the sensation of her tongue growing heavy for a moment, and knew right away she would not be able to say anything. 

“D-d-definitely Fidelius,” she stammered, “I can plainly see where she wants me to go, but I can’t tell anyone anything.” Newt gripped her hand tightly but said nothing. He didn’t like this at all, but there was no way around it. Tina was going to have to seek out her sister, and nobody could accompany her. 

“What about me, can I see?” Jacob asked, biting his lip.

“No,” Tina said softly, “the letter was addressed to me, and the charm seems to only make room for me. I’m sorry,” she patted his shoulder kindly, upon seeing the stricken look on his face, “but don’t worry, I’m sure she will send her love. She has never stopped loving you, I know it…”

Theseus was nearly as nervous as Newt about the prospect of sending Tina alone to a location protected by the Fidelius charm. He insisted that Tina hide a spare wand in her sock and bring along a potion grenade in case she needed a quick diversion to get outside the wards and apparate to safety. 

Newt also fussed and fretted, but to his credit, did not bring up his issues with Queenie. He merely gave Tina a quick kiss and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, just like old times, before pleadingly whispering in her ear, “be safe, please…”

“I will, I promise,” she whispered back, squeezing his hand one last time before departing. 

Tina arrived at the designated location and waited for the hidden property to come into view. As soon as she did, she stepped into the courtyard surrounding the townhouse. Queenie was sitting on the stoop, already waiting.

“Teenie,” she breathed out, and just like all the other times they'd met up in the last 9 years, Tina tearfully embraced her sister. The impenetrable gulf between them never mattered in that moment…

She stepped back when she felt the familiar intrusion into her head. Usually, she was comforted by it, having lived with it for so much of her life, but with what had been going on with Newt lately, she really didn’t want Queenie to see all that.

Too late. “Oh Teenie, I’m so sorry you and Newt have been having a hard time,” Queenie gushed sympathetically, trying to pull Tina back into a hug.

“Please get out of my head,” Tina snapped irritably, “you don’t get that privilege anymore...besides, we’ve been working on it. Let’s talk about why you sent for me.”

“Well, that’s good at least,” Queenie muttered, clearly wounded at Tina shutting her out. 

“Well?” Tina demanded, crossing her arms, “what has you coming back this time?”

Queenie’s face got gravely serious. “I’ve come to deliver a warning.” 

“A warning…?” Tina tailed off, dropping her tough facade, “what...what kind of warning?”

“Something is going to happen soon, in London,” Queenie explained, “I don’t know the details, believe me, if I did, I wouldn’t be warning you because I’d be stopping it...but, some of the more, um, extreme elements are planning an attack in London. Please, Teenie... you, Newt, the kids, Jacob, of course...for the next few weeks, don’t go anywhere too crowded, or to any famous wizard landmarks, if you can avoid it. Stay home as much as you can for the next few weeks...please…” she bit her lip worriedly. 

Tina took a moment to digest the warning, then, with hope filled eyes, looked to Queenie and asked, “does this mean you’re-”

“Teen, I’m doing everything I can to bring about the ideals of a united wizard-no-maj society!” Queenie passionately interjected, “I have work to do, and I understand you disagree about the goals, but we can agree-”

“Queenie, we’ve been through this!” Tina cried out angrily, “I can’t just agree to disagree when it comes to a murderous tyrant!” 

“He ain’t like that, you never got to know him like I do!” Queenie insisted defensively, as Tina continued to shake her head vigorously. 

“He’s planning an attack that’s going to kill people!” Tina exclaimed incredulously.

“No, some of his more extreme-” 

“There are no moderates in his camp!” Tina hissed through gritted teeth.

“Do you have any idea how much worse it would be if I wasn’t there to keep people in check?” Queenie snapped.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Tina shook her head in disgust, “you should know what he’s about by now, and if you can’t see it, I really don’t know what else to say…”

“I mean, I came here to warn you, clearly I’m trying everything on my end to stop it!” Queenie insisted.

“You warned me because I’m family,” Tina shot back, “do you even realize how selfish you sound? Sure, protect your family, and your own fiance, but no thought to all the other people that are gonna lose their loved ones!” 

“I’m just trying to-” 

“No, Queenie, you can’t hide behind that anymore!” Tina threw up her hands in resignation, “I just…” her eyes welled up and threatened to spill over, as Queenie began to sob.

“I’ll always love you, Queenie,” Tina said in a shaky voice, “but until you renounce your support...I can’t do this anymore, Queen. I’m sorry.” She turned heel and ran at that moment, trying to block out her sister’s sobs, and biting her own lip bloody so as not to cry until she got home. 

The knot in Tina’s chest threatened to burst, but she knew she needed to keep it together for just a few more minutes, to warn Theseus that Queenie had warned her of an impending terror attack. With her throat threatening to close, and her eyes stinging with tears, she dashed off a note to Theseus letting him know that an attack of some sort in wizarding London Was being planned within the next few weeks. She charmed the note to fly straight to Theseus’ office, and then, feeling ready to burst, turned hard to apparate home. 

Newt heard the crack of his wife returning home all the way from the basement, and knew, as he heard her running toward their room, that it had gone badly. “Watch them,” he mouthed silently to Bunty, then tiptoed quietly up the stairs before the kids could notice him leaving the room. 

He found Tina curled up on their bed, hiccuping between sobs. He didn’t need to remind himself about Deanna’s repeated warnings to never say I Told You So; he instinctively took Tina into his arms without a word. 

While she trembled in his embrace, he realized that in all the times she’d met Queenie in the last 9 years, through the repeated heartbreak, it had never been this bad. He’d never seen her this shattered, and had no idea what to do. He kept holding her, but she did not seem to calm down at all. 

Newt decided to risk opening his mouth. “Do you need anything? What can I do?” 

Tina was still crying too hard to answer, so he just held her tighter and stroked her hair. After nearly half an hour, Tina’s sobs finally subsided into infrequent hiccups, and she slackened in his arms, asleep. He gently released her to the bed and pulled the blanket over her. He ran his fingers through her hair one more time before kissing her forehead softly. 

After tucking Tina in, Newt decided to bring dinner down to the basement. “Come, children, we’re eating down here tonight,” he announced with a plastered grin on his face, as they came bounding towards him when he arrived back downstairs.

“Yay!” Ari clapped his pudgy hands gleefully, though Yael was a bit more reserved. 

“Where’s mummy?” she asked nervously. 

Newt sighed, hoping the kids didn’t notice the full weight of it. “Mummy had an exceptionally tiring day today and is already asleep! I don’t want us to wake her, so we’re going to stay down here until it’s time for you to go to bed.”

“Is mummy ill?” she asked, the fiery salamander eyes she’d inherited from her mother widening in surprise. 

“Oh, Merlin, no!” Newt assured her, “she just needs some more rest. She’ll be better in the morning.”

Yael, ever the keen observer, searched her father’s freckled face for any indication that he was trying to shield her from something, then, satisfied that he seemed to believe everything really was alright, agreed to this treat of a basement dinner. 

Tina was not better in the morning. She sat up in bed, staring straight ahead, and said in a hoarse, hollow voice, “I just can’t...how can she be so deluded?”

Newt sighed. He’d been trying to tell her that for years. But with the last counseling session still fresh in his mind, he managed to hold back. “Will you be going in today or calling out?” he asked mildly.

“I wrote Theseus before coming home yesterday, he has all the relevant information. I’m calling out,” Tina sighed, and Newt nodded in agreement. 

“Would you like to talk about it?” he asked tentatively. 

Tina opened and closed her mouth a few times, not knowing what to say. She didn’t want to talk about it, but she needed to at least let Newt know about the warning. 

“We need to be careful, Newt,” Tina settled on, “she warned me, there’s an attack planned for London…”

“An attack? Where? When?” Newt sat straight up upon hearing the warning.

“She didn’t know the details herself, just that it’s happening, and said we should be careful,” Tina explained sadly.

“And I take it she mentioned this as a sister, and not as a double agent,” Newt said warily.

“Yeah,” Tina shook her head in disgust, and felt the sting of more tears behind her eyes. 

“Merlin,” Newt breathed out, “the depths to which she’s sunk…” 

“I told you I didn’t want to talk about it!” Tina snapped.

“Right, sorry,” Newt looked away for a moment, “you want me to bring you some breakfast?”

“No, I’m sick to my stomach…” Tina groaned, and flopped back on the bed, curling up under the covers. Newt sighed painfully. He hated to see her like this. But he knew she probably needed some time to process what had clearly been a serious gut punch. One day of sleeping too much and refusing meals wasn’t the worst thing in the world…

But then came a second, and a third day of more of the same. The children were anxious about their mother and acted up. And Newt felt dread in the pit of his stomach as he thought back to the last time Tina had been like this. The last time, she had barely functioned at all for nearly a year, and if he was being honest, he couldn’t say she’d ever fully recovered or gotten back to herself since then. In fact, he started to wonder if that had not been the beginning of the very downward spiral they had only just started to crawl out of…

Newt decided he wasn’t going to wait until Thursday to ask Deanna what to do about this. The last time she’d had this kind of episode of abject misery had clearly had dire consequences for their family, and he wasn’t going to wait to see if this was more of the same. He pulled out his wand to conjure up a message for Deanna. The enormous silver thunderbird bolted out the window, and Newt stood by anxiously awaiting her reply. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, super emotional! Let me know your thoughts below!


	8. Where all of this is coming from

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Tina suffers a depressive episode, Deanna offers help- and hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Another next day update? Don't get too used to it, I'm off work this week (yay Jewish holidays). But I do hope to keep to a once a week schedule after I go back next week. 
> 
> This chapter is intense but comes with a major breakthrough! Read on to see how it plays out!

A knock at the door interrupted Newt’s racing thoughts. The children were already eagerly dancing around the door by the time Newt made his way there. 

“Wh-what are you-you needn’t have come here…” Newt stammered out when he saw Deanna standing at the door, “but thank you, truly...I really am at a loss…” he quickly recovered. 

“Of course,” she smiled soothingly, then, seeing the kids next to him, she bent down and said, “why, hello little Scamanders! Nice to meet you at last!”

“Who are you?” Ari piped up.

“Ari! That’s rude!” Yael admonished her little brother, sounding just like Tina. Newt and Deanna both chuckled fondly at that. 

“I’m so sorry, I should have introduced myself,” Deanna replied, “I’m Mrs. Diggory, I’m a friend of your parents.”

“Mummy’s ill,” Yael murmured sadly, “I don’t think you can see her today.”

“Ah yes, I heard,” Deanna nodded sadly, “I was coming by to check in and see how she’s faring,” she explained, sharing a glance with Newt. 

“Listen, children, why don’t you go downstairs to Bunty for a bit?” Newt told his children, “I need to talk a little with Mrs. Diggory, then I’ll bring you over to Mrs. Figg’s, alright?” 

The children complied right away, and scampered downstairs with much giggling, and trailing streams of magic behind them. 

“Aren’t they precious,” Deanna smiled after them.

“They’re wonderful,” Newt agreed, then his smile faded as his thoughts turned back to Tina.

“Well, to business now,” Deanna turned back to Newt, noting his worried expression, “I understand Tina’s experiencing a crisis.”

“Yes,” Newt murmured, “she’s still sleeping, do you want me to-”

“Oh no, I can talk with just you for now, while we wait for her to wake up,” Deanna insisted, as they took seats in the living room, “I understand that she’s been in a concerning state since meeting with her sister a few days ago?”

Newt nodded silently, and swallowed the lump in his throat. Deanna pressed on, “have you ever seen her experience anything like this before?”

“Yes,” Newt said, “once--no, actually, twice,” he corrected himself.

Deanna’s ears perked up at that. “Can you tell me when each of those other episodes occurred?” 

“Yes, actually,” Newt nodded, “it happened after the births of each of our children.”

Deanna nodded with a knowing expression, as though she had been expecting exactly that answer. Newt found it curious, but waited for her to speak, rather than ask what made her suspect it. 

“You know, Newt, it’s hardly ever talked about, but it is...not uncommon for women to experience something like that in the months following birth,” she said kindly, “and it seems that Tina might have been one such woman. There’s much secrecy and shame surrounding it, unfortunately, but really, it’s not at all unusual. Can you tell me a little more about what happened, after each birth?”

Newt was stunned. It was like pieces of a puzzle suddenly coming together, and much of the last several years began to make sense. 

“It started about two weeks after Yael was born,” he shared, “she seemed to have...lost something of herself. It was concerning, to be sure. She would often take to her bed for days, and she was very irritable and snappish with me, downright miserable most of the time… I thought it was just adjusting to motherhood, you know how it is, the lack of sleep, anxiety and insecurity about such a new and major change…if I'd only known…" He bit his lip guiltily. 

"You have nothing to feel guilty about," Deanna insisted, "you didn't know that it could have been this post birth condition, like I said, it's not talked about nearly enough. And you had reasonable assumptions that it was just the strain of the major change that is new motherhood. How long was she like this?" 

"About six months. And then her moods started to improve," Newt recalled, "she got used to things, it all fell into place, and she seemed to feel happy again."

"And so life continued as normal for awhile," Deanna concluded, and Newt nodded. "Now, what was she like after Ari's birth?" 

"It started out pretty much the same," Newt explained, "on a high for about two weeks, and then a crash into that-that listless misery again. Except this time it was worse. Much worse. Merlin, I should have known something was very wrong…" he hid his face in his hands, overwhelmed with guilt. Tina had been suffering terribly, and he'd done nothing to help her. Made it worse, even. 

"How could you have known?" Deanna reminded him, "you had no way of knowing it was an illness. You did nothing wrong Newt. And now that you do know, you can begin to get her the help that she needs. Now, can you elaborate more, on how it was worse?" 

"It was just...what I said happened with Yael, but somehow intensified," Newt tried to think how best to explain it, "the listlessness, the misery, it was just more. She had to take a leave of absence from work, and she laid in bed for much of the day, and didn't spend much time with the children. The smallest frustrations would either cause her to burst into tears or become enraged. For about a year, she barely functioned at all. And then…then…"

He paused, seeing all the pieces beginning to come together. "Yes?" Deanna encouraged him. 

"Do you recall, when Tina and I first came to you, and you asked us when we had started to struggle? And we weren't quite sure?" Deanna nodded. 

"I think I know now," Newt sighed heavily. "After Ari’s first birthday, she started getting better, back to normal. Returned to work. Took care of the children. But she was still, well, not herself. She just never went back to being her usual self. She has been in a constant haze of misery and irritability ever since. And I…and I…"

"Please, no guilt Newt," Deanna reassured him, sensing how he was feeling at the moment, "just the facts for now."

"I was fed up with her," Newt admitted, "and I started responding negatively myself, and well, here we are. The mess you found us in has been happening ever since."

“And you’ve both been doing very well lately,” Deanna told him kindly.

“We have been...thanks to you,” Newt gave a small smile, before frowning again, “and now...if this is the same thing, we’re now back to-”

“Oh no, not this time,” Deanna insisted, “because we can stop it before it gets out of control. We can do something to alleviate Tina’s suffering.”

“Can we?” Newt asked, hardly daring to hope.

“There are potions that can help,” Deanna explained, “she’ll need to see a healer qualified to administer such potions--I know a few--but yes, it can be helped. She will feel better. And in turn, everyone else will do better.”

Newt nodded, eager to hear to hear more. “But,” Deanna paused, “we’ll need to discuss this with Tina when she wakes.”

“Yes, of course,” Newt agreed, “shall I warm up some tea while we wait? I need to take the children to Mrs. Figg’s house, we’re late already, but perhaps Tina will be awake when I return.”

“That works, thank you,” Deanna replied, “yes, hopefully we can work things out with Tina in a bit.” 

Tina was just waking up when Newt returned, so he went straight to her. “Deanna’s here, she’s worried about you, you know,” he told her as she sat up grumpily, “would you like to speak with her?”

“Ugh, I dunno…” Tina yawned, exhausted despite having slept through much of the last three days.

“Tina, love,” Newt took her hand, “you don’t have to suffer like this. And she knows how to help.”

Tina had to agree that if anyone would know of a way to help with her crippling emotions, it was Deanna. “OK, fine,” she agreed, picking up her wand to summon her bathrobe, “I’ll go out to the living room and see her.”

She shuffled out pulling her robe around her, and Newt followed. “Good to see you Tina,” Deanna greeted her kindly, “I heard about what happened. Would you like to talk about it?”

Tina looked at Newt apologetically. She had been avoiding talking about it with him for days. “No guilt, love,” he said softly, understanding her conflict, “that’s why we talk to Deanna. For when we don’t know how to talk to each other.”

Tina swallowed and nodded. “I saw my sister,” she started, in a low mumble, “and I saw the worst of her...she’s not who I thought she was and I just don’t know how to move on from that…” Her eyes welled up and she hid her face in her hands. 

“And that’s alright,” Deanna reassured her, “we can learn to process that, and to move on. You shouldn’t have to suffer like this...Tina, Newt tells me this isn’t the first time you’ve fallen into, well, a depression. Would you say that’s accurate?” 

“Yeah, definitely,” Tina started, then looked away, before whispering painfully, “what’s wrong with me, Deanna? Why am I so...so broken?”

Newt took her in his arms and let her cry into his shoulder while Deanna replied, “you’re not broken Tina, you have no reason to-”

“But I do!” she exclaimed, sobbing loudly now, “so fine, the last few days, it makes sense, I have a good reason to be upset. But why did I feel like this during what should have been the two happiest times of my life? Why was I so miserable when I should have been at my greatest joy? Something is wrong with me! I’m broken!” 

She buried her face in Newt’s shoulder again, and he looked to Deanna, silently begging her to find a way to get through to Tina. 

“Tina,” Deanna started, “you are not broken, and there is nothing wrong with you. Or, rather, there is nothing you did wrong, and nothing you need be ashamed of. You experienced an illness that many mothers do after giving birth. It is much more common than you think, though far too few know about it. Since your illness was never treated, it never really went away, even though your son is three now. There is help for it, there is hope. You can feel happy again, and alleviate your suffering. Would you like to try?”

“If you know of something,” Tina hiccupped, “if you know a way to take away the pain…”

“I do,” Deanna said softly, “there are potions that can help.”

“Potions?” Tina sniffed, “but that means healers, no?”

“It does,” Deanna nodded, “and the potions for this require a specialized healer. I know one. Would you like me to arrange an appointment for you?”

Tina looked over at Newt. He was gazing at her tenderly, protectively. He swept a stray lock of hair from her tearstained face. “Of course it’s up to you,” he told her, “but if there’s a chance for it to help, for you not to suffer all this-this pain…”

Tina nodded, and sniffled a bit more before turning back to Deanna. “I want to try it,” she said decisively, “I want to meet with this healer and try the treatment.”

“I will reach out and arrange the appointment, then,” Deanna assured her, “and I will go over the details when I see you both on Thursday. Tina, it’s going to be alright,” she patted her shoulder kindly as she got up to leave, “you will get through this. We’ll all work on it together.”

As Deanna left, Tina rested her head against Newt’s shoulder, still hiccupping a little. Newt wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close, as they both allowed some small hope to rise within them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please let me know your thoughts below!


	9. Your head is running wild again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tina starts on a potion to help with her depression. It does help, though times are challenging and new issues crop up that the couple must deal with...

Deanna had been right; it took a few weeks and some trial and error, but the potion worked to stabilize Tina’s moods, and she felt the best she’d felt in years, as though a hazy fog had lifted. However, as Tina was growing stronger, and Newt more relieved upon seeing her suffering ease, the world around them grew ever more chaotic and frightening. 

Queenie’s warning meant that Tina was working overtime with the auror department to try and figure out when and where the attack was to take place and to try to stop it. Everyone was on edge. 

Tina had also taken to listening to the news on the muggle radio every evening, while clearing up after dinner or helping Newt with the creatures downstairs. And no amount of potion could ease her terror at the horrifying words coming from Germany’s muggle Chancellor every day.

The snippets of his speeches the radio played were in German, but Tina had grown up speaking Yiddish, which was similar enough that she could understand most of what was being said. Newt’s embrace could not warm the chill that ran through her every time she heard another speech. 

“Perhaps you should turn the wireless off, dear,” Newt suggested one evening, “it’s only causing you stress and fear.”

Tina tensed. A few weeks ago, she probably would have lashed out in a rage. She managed to keep herself calm, and bite back the sarcastic remarks she was thinking of, but she was still quite irritated when she replied, “easy for you to say...of course I don’t want to hear it, but he’s talking about people like me. And our children! I wish I could hide from all that, but...I need to know...”

Newt wrapped his arms around her from behind, “You and our children safe here in England,” he assured her, “and of course, I will do everything I can to keep you all safe, no matter what.”

“My father’s cousins in Germany are not safe,” Tina shook her head, “and how do you know he won’t come here eventually?”

“Well, if he does, we’ll fight, we know how to do that well enough,” Newt tried to sound reassuring, though he knew there wasn’t really much he could say. It couldn’t be easy to hear a madman preaching daily about how your people were a scourge. He would never be fully able to understand what the situation meant for Tina and their children, though it certainly shook him to his core. All Tina could do was lean against his shoulder as the terrifying words from abroad streamed in through the speakers. 

It was not long before Tina decided it was time to pull some strings at the Ministry to get her German cousins to England as soon as possible. Newt and Theseus fully supported this action, and worked alongside her to get everything in order to make it happen, but ultimately, the bulk of matter rested on Tina’s shoulders. 

And the serious matter of arranging her cousins’ immigration was not the only thing that weighed on her. Although Newt took care of the children in the afternoons and was usually the one to cook dinner, much of the household management still fell to Tina, even as her work grew ever more demanding. 

It was Tina who took the children to see a healer when needed, and buy them new clothes and shoes every season, and take care of the household inventory of potions and creature care items. With everything else going on around her, she began to slide back into snapping over small things. Oh, she knew she should just tell Newt how scared and overwhelmed she was feeling, but at the same time, she resented having to state the obvious. 

After one particularly difficult and frustrating weekend, Tina knew what she was going to be bringing up at the next session with Deanna, and was hoping she could use the now familiar tools to try to hold out until then. 

She took a moment that Monday evening, while writing out Tuesday’s schedule, to do some deep breathing exercises. She rubbed her temples as the list blurred before her. Ari needed new shoes, both children needed new coats as the weather was growing colder, and Yael had just shown her a weird rash on her arm, which meant a trip to the healer was in order, to figure out what that was all about. 

She tried to ignore Newt, who was relaxing on the couch reading a book, without a care in the world. She bit back her resentment. It wasn’t worth a fight, anyway, if she waited till Thursday, surely Deanna would have some good ideas for how to work this out. 

And she would have stayed silent had Newt not come up with a request that, while perfectly innocent, was the final straw for his extremely overwhelmed wife. 

“You know, I don’t think my eyes are quite what they used to be,” he remarked, squinting at the words on the page before him. Tina merely grunted in reply. 

“I do believe I may need spectacles,” Newt continued, “Tina, dear, could you arrange an appointment for me with an optical healer?”

The heaping of yet another task, even such a small one, on her overburdened shoulders sent Tina over the edge. “Make your own damn appointment!” she lashed out at him. 

Newt was confused and hurt by Tina’s outburst. Thanks to months of work with Deanna, he knew better than to reply in kind, but tonight, he let his hurt drive his response. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was offensive to ask a simple favor,” he grumbled. 

“Well, maybe if it wasn’t on me to manage everything-”

“You could have just asked!” Newt interjected frustratedly, “if you’re feeling like it’s too much, just TELL me! Tell me what you need!”

“But that’s exactly the problem!” Tina cried out, “I don’t want to have to tell you! I want you to notice! You should notice that kids outgrow their clothes and need new stuff when they do! You should know how to take them to the healer when they need to go. Hell, you should know how to take yourself to a healer when you need it!”

“It’s just a simple owl to-” Newt started to say. 

“To you it’s a simple owl,” Tina ranted, “but do you know how many of those ‘simple owls’ I write every day? Every week? Maybe it’s your turn to write a damn owl to arrange an appointment!” 

Newt opened his mouth to reply, but Tina was already storming off to their room, and he thought better of it. He walked over to the children’s room and peeked in. Both were sleeping, thank Merlin they hadn’t heard this latest argument...

The next morning, things were awkward between Newt and Tina, though the morning rush did not allow for talking things over. It would have to wait till later. Worst case, they’d hold the awkward truce till their next session with Deanna on Thursday. 

“Shoes on, coats on, let’s go!” Tina chided the children, while nervously glancing at the clock, then, anticipating the complaints, “I’m picking up some new shoes and coats on my way home from work today, I promise, tomorrow, everyone’s shoes and coats will fit!”

The children grumbled but did as they were told. Newt silently shot Tina a disapproving glance, as he always did when he thought she was being too strict, but wisely said nothing. Tina pointedly ignored him. 

They managed to stumble out the door together and began walking briskly to Mrs. Figg’s. The parents continued to awkwardly ignore each other while both making occasional comments on the children’s chatter. 

They were hardly the only ones tense and rushed. It was a Tuesday morning, after all. The streets around them were filled with people rushing, to the Underground, to the shops for a breakfast pastry or a newspaper, to school, and to work. Everyone was absorbed in their own morning rush. 

And then came the explosion. The little family stood for a moment, wondering at the loud bang and the ground shaking beneath them, but were shaken into action as soon as they heard the screams and saw the crush of people running for their lives. This was it. The attack that Queenie had said was coming.

Tina knew what she had to do, and Newt knew it too. It was the last thing he wanted, but there was no time, nor any point in arguing. He saw her right hand pat the spot on her jacket where she kept her wand. 

“Take the children, and run,” she instructed him seriously, “just get yourselves to safety, I have to go!”

Newt grabbed her hand, “Tina…” was all he could say, looking at her with wide eyes, trying desperately to communicate everything in three seconds.

“I know,” she replied, looking back at him with a matching gaze, “I have to go. Please, take care of yourself and the kids. I’ll be back soon, I promise…”

And with that she disappeared into the screaming crowd, running straight toward the danger while everyone else was running away from it. There was nothing Newt could do about it, and he did have to get the children to safety. 

“Mummy!” Ari wailed as Newt scooped him up, grabbed Yael’s hand, and started to run. “Mummy, come back!”

“Hush, Ari,” Newt huffed from the exertion of running with two children, “Mummy will be back soon. You heard her, we have to get to safety.” Yael was whimpering tearfully, but said nothing. Newt desperately wanted to scoop her up too but didn’t think he could run like that, so he gripped her hand tighter. 

Although they were running away from the fighting, they could still hear it going on. Newt tried not to think too hard about Tina being in the thick of it. Right now, he had to get the children home, safe. Then he could worry about Tina, or perhaps even join her. 

He saw some aurors appear nearby and begin directing people on where to go. One of them gripped him by the shoulder and steered him into an alleyway.

“Here! Hold the children tight and apparate home!” he barked, “if ever there was a time for side-along…”

Newt did not need telling twice. He held both his children tight to his chest and quickly turned on the spot, whooshing the three of them into darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger! I promise not to keep you all waiting too too long, it shouldn't be more than a week. 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts and comments below!


	10. You've been having real bad dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> London is under attack by Grindelwald's operatives. Will the shock of it bring Newt and Tina closer together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The continuation of last week's cliffhanger! That wasn't so long to wait, now was it?

It was hard to tell time as the minutes (hours?) ticked by slower than eternity. Bunty greeted them, face white as a ghost, when Newt, Yael, and Ari popped into their home. 

“Oh thank Merlin!” she exclaimed, “you must have seen it too...Tina’s gone to fight, hasn’t she...” Bunty sighed quietly. Newt could only nod heavily. 

Bunty escorted the three of them to the sofa and started a kettle of tea. After seeing his children settled, Newt stood up and grabbed his coat, heading for the door. 

“D-daddy, where are you going?” Yael cried out, speaking for the first time since the explosion. Ari burst into tears again and clung to his father’s leg. 

“I need to go help mummy,” Newt said firmly, “I’m needed out there...Bunty is here, she’ll take good care of you until both mummy and I come home…”

“Oh no you don’t!” Bunty marched over with her wand out, “you’re needed here!”

“But she’s out there-”

“She’s not alone,” Bunty said firmly, “every auror in London is out there right now! Your children need you, here, now.”

Newt bit his lip and looked down at his tearful children clinging to his legs. “You know how it was for Tina growing up,” Bunty said softly, touching Newt’s shoulder, “don’t make that possibility more likely for them...she’d be furious with you, and rightly so…”

At last, Newt relented. He hung his coat back up with a sigh, and made his way back to the couch. Bunty went back to the kitchen to fix some more drinks and snacks, while Newt sat sullenly on the couch, holding his terrified children on his lap and trying to soothe them.

“She’ll be alright,” he said flatly, not fully believing his own words, “your mother’s the best auror our Ministry’s got...she’ll be fine…” he insisted, more to himself than to the kids. 

A few minutes later, Bunty stepped out, but she was back within minutes, with Jacob dizzily hanging off her arm. 

“Th-thank you, Bunty,” Newt stammered out, “that was...good thinking on your part.”

“I thought we should make sure he was safe,” Bunty shrugged, “now, I’m going downstairs, any of you can feel free to join me.”

“So…” Jacob started as Bunty bounded down the stairs, “all that fighting and stuff, that’s wizards behind it?”

“Yes,” Newt swallowed hard, “and Tina...she’s out there, in the thick of it, and I have no way of knowing…” His eyes welled up, but he did not let the tears fall. Not in front of the kids, he had to be strong…

“There, there,” Jacob patted him on the shoulder consolingly, “it’s gonna be alright, we know Tina can take care of herself, she’s a fierce fighter...say, you wanna bake with me? I find baking helps when I’m scared or worried.”

Newt was too riled up to do anything, even care for his creatures, but he encouraged Yael and Ari to help their uncle with the baking.

“That way, we can have something delicious ready for mummy as soon as she comes home,” Newt told them, smiling a little too brightly and hoping they didn’t see right through it. 

Bright lights flashed all around Tina as spells whizzed by every which way, and she could smell the acrid smell of an assortment of materials burning, some from the initial explosion, and some from the continued fighting. 

She had no way of knowing whether Newt and the kids had made it home safely, but all she could do was keep fighting, to end the terror in the city. If it continued, nobody would be safe. She flicked her wand this way and that, shooting off spells without even thinking, just trying to gain control over the terrorists trying to sow mayhem and death in the streets of London. 

After first evacuating the perimeter, it was now clear of civilians and a bitter battle between aurors and Grindelwald’s terrorists raged. There was no time to think, she could only act and react. Each time she took another operative down, her wand stayed raised, ready for the next one. 

There was a lull, but she did not dare assume the job was done. She crept around, through the smoke, darting this way and that, jumping over obstacles, some of which were bodies. It took all of her self control not to stop to check who they might be... Then, she heard the zing of a duel still going on, a few yards east. She padded over, ready to join in and come to the aid of a teammate.

It was Theseus, panting and sweating, locked in a vicious battle with Vinda Rosier. Neither of them saw Tina creeping up. She took a moment to size up the situation and saw Vinda gearing up for the kill. 

“Theseus, duck!” she screamed out. Theseus ducked just as Tina rammed into Vinda’s side, causing her Killing Curse to hit the building behind Theseus. Vinda snarled angrily, but disapparated to avoid the falling bricks. Tina grabbed her brother in law by the hand and they made their way together, coughing and sputtering, away from the shower of debris.

“Thank you, Tina,” Theseus panted as soon as they stopped to take a breath, “you saved my life back there...Merlin’s bloody ballsack, you’re bleeding!” he gasped out, and for the first time, Tina realized that the  _ thunk _ she’d felt as they were running from the bricks had, in fact, been something.

“It’s nothing,” Tina shrugged with her good shoulder, trying not to wince too much.

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Theseus scoffed, “I’m bringing you to St. Mungo’s!”

“No! Wait!” Tina insisted, “it’s not a curse, it was from the bricks...nothing I can’t take care of at home.”

“Well, if you say so,” Theseus raised a skeptical eyebrow, “but let me escort you home...Newt, and the children…” he suddenly realized, “they-they are home, aren’t they?”

“I-I assume that’s where they went,” Tina bit her lip, “I mean, Newt took them as soon as it started...they should be safe...well, if they got out in time…” her voice quavered. 

“I’m sure they did,” Theseus reassured her, “I mean, most people did…”

“But what if they didn’t?” Tina sniffed, “and me and Newt, we’d just had a big argument…” she admitted, crying freely now.

“There, there,” Theseus awkwardly patted her good shoulder, “I’m sure they got home just fine. Now, might as well go home, and see for ourselves, right?”

Tina wiped her face on her sleeve, gulped, then nodded. Theseus grabbed her uninjured arm and whisked them off to the flat. 

Newt wasn’t sure how long they’d been baking, but the counter was filled with fresh pastries. After returning to the couch, Ari had curled up on his lap, popped his thumb in his mouth, and fallen asleep. Yael had also fallen asleep, resting her head on Newt’s shoulder.

“Probably better for them this way,” Jacob sighed, plopping down next to Newt and the sleeping kids, “by the time they wake up, she’ll be home again. I know it!”

“What if she doesn’t come home,” Newt whispered fearfully, finally allowing his terror to show now that the kids were asleep.

“Don’t talk like that Newt,” Jacob insisted, “she’s going to be fine…”

“We argued again last night,” Newt confessed, “and we still hadn’t made up yet this morning…” Tears were now falling freely, and even though he said nothing more, Jacob understood exactly what he was thinking. 

“Then you’re going to make up as soon she gets home,” Jacob patted him soothingly on the back, “because she IS ok and she WILL be home before you know it!” 

Sure enough, at just that moment, there was a loud crack as Theseus and Tina popped in together. Both filthy and dishevelled, but alive and safe. It was enough to wake the kids, who jumped up and ran to their mother. “Mummy!” they shrieked together, jumping into her arms. 

“Oh Yael! Ari! I’m so glad to see you,” Tina whispered, clutching them tightly. Newt made his way over a little more slowly, dizzy from relief to find both his wife and his brother safe. He gave Theseus a quick hug, then, as soon as the children had freed Tina, he turned to her, eyes shining brightly, all frustration and annoyance from their last argument forgotten. 

And then he saw the bleeding gash on her shoulder. “Tina,” he cupped her cheek tenderly, “you’re hurt.”

“I tried to tell her, but she insisted…” Theseus started, but Tina interrupted him.

“I got hit by debris, it wasn’t a curse,” she insisted, “it’s nothing a little dittany can’t fix.”

“Then, to the basement,” Newt breathed out, more relief flooding through him, “children, please help Uncle Jacob look after Uncle Theseus while I patch you mother up, we’ll be back up soon.”

The children complied while Newt put an arm around Tina and steered her downstairs. “Bunty!” he called out, “Tina’s home, we need some dittany…”

Bunty saw them coming down the stairs and immediately ran for the first aid corner. Newt helped Tina into a chair and helped her shed her coat and blouse. Once Bunty handed over the dittany, Newt quickly and efficiently took care of the wound on Tina’s shoulder. 

While the dittany worked on knitting Tina back together, Newt took her hands in his. “Tina, I’m so sorry…” he began.

“No, it’s me who should be sorry!” Tina insisted, “all I could think about was last night and…”

“...what if I’d lost you,” Newt finished for her. Tina nodded tearfully, and Newt leaned in and kissed her softly. 

They kept their foreheads together after they broke apart. “I promise, I’m gonna work harder not to snap at you like that,” Tina whispered softly against his lips.

“And I promise the same,” Newt replied, just as determined, “we will continue to work on it, as we’ve been doing these past months. It’ll be alright.”

“I love you,” Tina said simply, before kissing him again.

“I love you too,” Newt breathed softly between kisses. 

Soon, Tina’s shoulder was completely fixed. “Let’s get straightened up and head back upstairs,” she smiled shyly, pulling her blouse back on.

“Yes,” Newt agreed, “you and Theseus are going to have to sample some baked goods Jacob and the children prepared while we were waiting…”

“Can’t complain about that after the morning I had!” Tina chuckled, as Newt helped her up and they headed back upstairs together.

Although the dittany did it’s job, Theseus, ever overprotective when it came to his family, insisted that Tina take the rest of the week off to recuperate. Tina didn’t argue too hard against it; she was quite glad of the extra time with her husband and children after what had just happened.

When Thursday came around, Newt and Tina were right on time for their appointment with Deanna. 

“You were both there, weren't you?” Deanna opened the session, her voice soothing and compassionate, as it always was. 

The couple nodded, tightly clutching hands. They’d barely let go over the last two days. 

“Would you like to talk about it?” she asked. 

“I don’t think there’s much to say,” Newt said quietly, “we were separated during the event and...and…”

“We worried for each other,” Tina continued for him, “what if anything happened to one of us, or the kids…”

“It must have been frightening for the both of you,” Deanna nodded in understanding. 

“Yes,” Newt whispered hoarsely, “and we’d just argued the night before...but it doesn’t matter. After what happened Tuesday, we’re never going to argue again.” He squeezed Tina’s hand and kissed her temple softly.

“That’s a rather bold pronouncement,” Deanna replied, “especially for young parents with, hopefully, many decades ahead of them.”

“It really was so dumb,” Tina shook her head.

“But it wasn’t ‘dumb’ enough to avoid on Monday night,” Deanna said pointedly, “and while it may be forgotten for now, what happened on Tuesday will eventually fade away, and that problem will eventually resurface if it’s not dealt with. The attack will not push it down forever.” 

Newt and Tina looked at each other and then back at Deanna. They knew she knew what she was talking about and was probably right. 

“I think Tina would be the best at explaining,” Newt admitted, turning back toward his wife. 

“I guess it is more of a ‘me problem’,” Tina shrugged, “I just feel so ridiculous-”

“You know my rule here,” Deanna interjected kindly, “nothing is ridiculous in this room.”

Tina nodded, and continued, “I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed lately. I...I don’t want to sound ungrateful for Newt and everything he does, but, just, there’s so much I have to take care of, and he doesn’t even realize…”

“If you’d only just TELL me-” Newt started, but Deanna held up a hand.

“Let Tina finish,” she said, with a knowing look on her face. 

“Newt cares for the creatures mostly, but it’s me who keeps track of the inventory for their feed and stuff, and I order more when it’s running low,” Tina began, growing more frustrated as she enumerated her the tasks that were piling up, “Newt cares for the kids from 3-6 every afternoon, but I’m the one who manages their appointments, I’m the one who makes sure they have seasonally appropriate clothing that fits. I was planning to buy winter coats this week, Newt didn’t even think of it-”

“You could have TOLD me-” Newt started again, and once more, Deanna held up a hand.

“I guess, but why should I have to?” Tina pleaded, “it should be obvious that with fall starting, and the fact that kids grow, they’re gonna need coats. Why is it on me to remember? And then, I’m trying to figure that out, on top of the whole situation with getting my cousins over here, and you come along to ask if I could make you an appointment to get your eyes checked…”

As she trailed off, Newt realized what he should have realized back on Monday night. “You’re right,” he said softly, “that was rather doltish of me to ask you to make my own appointment. I will try to be a little more-”

“But what about other stuff? Kids, and creatures?” Tina interjected, “it’s too much being the real manager, even when you do a lot of the hands on stuff! It’s just too much!”

“And I still don’t understand why you can’t just tell me what you want me to do!” Newt threw his hands up in the air, now just as frustrated as Tina was. 

Tina tried to answer, but struggled to find the right words. Sensing this, Deanna stepped in. “What I’m seeing here is a very common issue, one that many people, particularly women, struggle with,” she began to explain. “I like to refer to it as the mental load. It’s the little things, the bits and pieces that make up every task, that start to really grind you down and feel incredibly overwhelming.”

Tina was nodding vigorously, and Deanna continued, “it gets to be so much, even coming to you and telling you what, exactly, she needs you to do, is another task on top of everything else, and just as overwhelming.”

“You really feel this way?” Newt turned to Tina, surprised.

“Yeah,” Tina nodded, “she explained it a lot better than I could.”

“I-I-I’m sorry I haven’t been able to help you as much as you’ve needed,” Newt bit his lip, “but I still don’t understand...I’m not a legilimens like your sister…”

“I don’t need a legilimens,” Tina said softly, “I need you to just listen, even when I’m not talking…”

“But how can I…” Newt began.

“I think you’re both going to have to give a little way here,” Deanna jumped back in, “Tina, you are going to have to speak up a little more, even when it feels like you shouldn’t have to; but Newt, you need to spend a little time reading between the lines. You need to work on trying to see more of what needs to be done on your own.”

“So, practically, how do we do that?” Newt asked.

“I suppose your assignment for this week will be to work on managing the mental together,” Deanna said with a small smile, “Tina, find two things to explicitly break down for Newt. After you’ve done that, he should have an easier time being able to figure it out for other similar types of tasks.” 

The couple nodded and squeezed hands again. Deanna smiled more warmly now. “I see the determination in you both. You’ve had a real fright this week. Definitely take that determination with you when you leave today. As with everything else so far, you will work through this. I know you can do it.” 

Newt and Tina agreed. They were still holding hands tightly when they thanked Deanna and headed home for the day, ready to get to work on their latest exercise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is an end in sight! And I'm nearly done writing this, so I should have the whole thing posted within the week :-)
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me, and as always, please share your thoughts with me!


	11. You used to lie so close to me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Tina are doing much better, but there is still one (intimate) matter that needs addressing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finally finished writing this story, plus I finished a one-shot sequel, so I will be posting everything over the course of this week!

Learning about the mental load was a real eye opener for Newt. Seeing just how much Tina was taking care of that he hadn’t realized needed to get done overwhelmed him too. No wonder she’d become so hollow and miserable over time!

Tina was grateful to see Newt pay more attention and take more on, though felt guilty for her years of being a nag. Would it really have been that hard to just talk to him? 

But they both diligently worked at it, over several weeks, with Deanna’s support. As the barriers between them continued to fall, the couple was beginning to feel closer than they’d felt in a long time, almost back to how they’d been as young newlyweds. In turn, things ran a lot more smoothly with the kids, who were visibly happier from no longer hearing constant arguing between their parents.

There was one thing that hadn’t yet rekindled though. They both knew it, but were too embarrassed to bring it up to Deanna, even though they knew they should. But the time came, on a cold, foggy November afternoon, when Deanna brought it up herself. It was time to face the next step in repairing their marriage. 

“We haven’t discussed it yet, but it’s time,” Deanna started, “I know it can be difficult to discuss with others, but it’s a crucial piece of every marriage. Please, there is no need to be embarrassed here. As you know, nothing ever leaves this room. We need to discuss your intimate life.”

Newt and Tina coughed, sputtered, and blushed crimson as they both stared at the floor, refusing to look at anyone, not even each other. 

“You are hardly alone in that reaction,” Deanna said calmly, “but it has to be done. This is an important piece of the puzzle. There is no judgment here. All I ask for is honesty.”

Newt and Tina were still blushing and staring at the floor, waiting for their faces to burst from the blood rushing in, and perhaps save them from having to talk about it. But Deanna did not back down. “I’m not going to let you avoid this discussion. We need to talk about it. Newt, I’ll start with you. How often would you say you two are intimate?”

Newt was still looking at the floor, but he could feel Deanna’s gaze boring into him. He knew she was waiting for his answer, would wait for the entire 50 minute session if it came to that. So he cleared his throat, and tried to get the words out. 

“It is, well we are…” he whispered, not even sure if Deanna could hear him, “Over the last couple of years, we’ve averaged about once a month. Sometimes less.”

“Thank you, Newt,” Deanna said encouragingly, “now, could you tell me how you feel about that?”

Newt had by now managed to look up, though Tina was still staring at the floor, her hands clasped in her lap. Though still mortified at having to discuss the subject, Deanna’s last question hit him hard for a different reason. The answer was simple. No, it wasn’t enough. He wished it were more often. He desperately longed for the spark, passion, and yes, frequency, they’d once had. 

But how could he say such a thing in front of Tina? He knew her well, better than himself in many ways. And he knew that if he said aloud that he wanted much more sex than they had been having lately, he worried that she’d feel guilty, and worse, might pressure herself to do it more. Which was the absolute last thing he wanted. He could never do that to her, and wasn’t about to put her in that position…

“Newt?” Deanna’s voice interrupted his thoughts. 

“Right...ummmm…” he started, trying to figure out what to say. Deanna had said honesty was crucial. But how could he be honest without putting Tina in an untenable position?

“I miss you, Tina,” he finally settled on, facing his wife, and cupping her chin gently, to lift her face toward his, “you know I would never ever want to pressure you, or push you into something you don’t want. You know that, don’t you love?” Tina nodded, eyes welling up. 

“But I do miss you,” Newt repeated, then turned back to Deanna to answer her question, “and I do wish that we-we-we were... intimate more often, yes.”

Tina was silently crying at this point, which was exactly what Newt had been dreading. “Please, love,” he took her hands gently, “forget it, it really doesn’t matter, I-”

“Your needs are valid,” Deanna interjected, “and we need to address the fact that the status quo doesn’t work for you,” then, turning to Tina, almost as if she was worried about exactly the same thing as Newt, “and Tina, don’t you for a moment think you have done anything wrong or that you need to push yourself to do more than you feel comfortable with. That is the last thing we want here. And with that, I ask you--Tina, how do you feel about the state of your intimate life?”

Tina looked up tearfully, “I know it’s wrong, and I’ve been a bad-”

“No, there is no wrong about it and you are most certainly not a bad wife,” Deanna reassured her gently, “I just want to know what your thoughts and feelings are. That way, we can find a way to work through this situation in a way that works for both of you.”

“In theory, I guess I could do with more too,” Tina admitted, “and I also miss the old days. It’s just...I’m so tired, and overwhelmed a lot of the time, and then for so long with my depressed moods...but even now, with the potion, I’m feeling better, but I don’t know how to start again, and I dunno…” She stopped rambling and looked over at Newt.

“So you do want us to, well, more often?” he asked gently, almost hopefully.

“Kinda, yeah, but I’m not sure...I just...it’s a lot, you know? I...please don’t take this the wrong way, but sometimes, it feels like just another chore to get done...” Tina blurted out, then, turning back to Deanna, “I don’t know where to start, or what to do.”

“That’s a common feeling. But I do understand what you mean, and I know we can work through it,” Deanna nodded sagely, “but it’s going to take a bit of time and patience, I think, to build up to things. To get to a point where it’s no longer something routine, and by rote, something to check off your list. I’ve noticed, the last couple of months, you do touch each other more than you used to. That’s a good start.”

Newt and Tina smiled shyly at each other. It was true, there had been more physical contact, not just in the last couple of months, but really in the over six months since they’d started counseling. It felt good. It definitely helped, and was really very instrumental in rebuilding their marriage. 

“I suppose we do,” Newt agreed, blushing.

“Then I think over the next few weeks, we should focus on rebuilding through touch,” Deanna advised, “and don’t think too hard about what it may lead to, though if you do end up being intimate, all the better. But take the time to touch, especially once you’re in your room for the night. As much as you can. Hands. Kisses. And take things slowly. See where it leads.”

The couple nodded. This exercise seemed easy enough, and something they could both really look forward to. 

“But I think another important part of this is going to be establishing some alone time, as a couple,” Deanna added, “a vacation without the children is what I usually advise in situations such as yours.”

“A vacation?” Tina gasped, “oh, that’s not so simple to-”

“If Deanna says we should take one…” Newt trailed off.

“But how do we even begin..” Tina started.

“I’ll make the arrangements,” Newt insisted, the lessons of the mental load still fresh in his mind, “I’ll even ask Theseus to give you a long weekend. Leave it to me, love.”

“I guess,” Tina bit her lip nervously. 

“Good for the both of you!” Deanna encouraged them, “and do let me know how it works out.”

That night, when they got into bed, Newt took Tina into his arms, and she practically melted into his embrace. “Why ever did we stop doing this?” she chuckled, spooning against him while he nuzzled her hair. 

“Hell if I know,” Newt mumbled lazily, “but this is one assignment I’m happy to keep working on every spare moment.”

“And you really will take care of the vacation stuff?” Tina asked hopefully.

“By tomorrow night, I’ll tell you all the details, as it’ll be all arranged,” Newt promised, dropping a soft kiss into Tina’s hair.

“Mmmmm,” she sighed happily, “please do that again…”

Newt kissed her hair again, and held her closer as she dropped off to sleep. The faint smile that graced her lips as she slipped away for the night was something he hadn’t seen in a long time, and he resolved to keep on doing whatever he could to coax that smile more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, it's time to address their sex life. Which means the smut promised in the tags is coming soon! Stay tuned!


	12. We'll come clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Tina take a weekend for some much-needed adult time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, the promised smut...

True to his word, Newt made all the arrangements for a long weekend for just the two of them, for the following weekend. They were to leave after their next session with Deanna.

Theseus was all too happy to grant the request for a long weekend, especially when Newt said it had to do with improving his marriage. 

“I’m glad you two are finally turning a corner, I knew you could do it!” Theseus congratulated his brother, “so, what’s the plan for the children while you’re gone?”

“They’ll be staying home, and Jacob will stay over, I already arranged it with him,” Newt explained, proud of himself for really having taken care of everything.

“Why didn’t you ask me?” Theseus asked, mildly insulted.

“Would you want to?” Newt replied, “I mean, it’s a big favor…”

“They’re just as much my niece and nephew, and you know I’d do anything for you and Tina!” Theseus insisted, “besides, I’m sure Jacob could use an extra set of hands, three days alone with those two...it’s a big job don’t you think?”

“If you insist, you’ll have no objection from me,” Newt grinned, “thank you. It really means a lot…”

“So it’s settled then!” Theseus clapped his brother on the back, “we’ll talk again Thursday before you leave.”

Although it was only a week, it seemed to pass by so slowly. Each night, Newt and Tina took some time just to hold each other and get used to more physical contact. Thursday finally arrived, and everything was all set. After their counseling session, they would return home to gather their things and say goodbye to the kids before leaving for their summer home in Dorset. It seemed weird to be going in November, but the point wasn’t to enjoy the scenery. It was to enjoy each other. 

Deanna was clearly proud of them for having arranged things so quickly, and was optimistic that this small getaway was just the thing to reignite the much-needed and missed spark. After wishing them well until next week, the couple headed home for the final arrangements.

Tina had been fretting all week about leaving the kids; they’d never been away from them for this long. Even Newt was starting to feel anxious as their time for departure came. But the kids were not nervous at all. They were already excitedly jumping all over Jacob and Theseus.

“They’re not gonna want you guys back after we’re through with them!” Jacob joked as the nervous parents kissed their kids goodbye. 

“They know they’re about to be very badly spoilt,” Theseus grinned mischievously. 

“You know how to find us if there’s an emergency,” Tina said seriously, “if you need anything…”

“They’re in good hands, Teen,” Jacob patted her shoulder, “now off you go, you lovebirds!”

With one last round of hugs and kisses, Newt and Tina picked up their bags, linked arms, and whooshed away to their Dorset cottage. 

“Well, then,” Newt said, looking around when they arrived, “it does feel a bit strange at this time of year.”

“And a bit freezing!” Tina exclaimed, her teeth chattering as strong wind whistled through the walls, “I think we’re gonna need to start a fire. And put up some strong heating charms!” 

Newt pulled out his wand and got to work while Tina brought their stuff upstairs and unpacked. It wasn’t long before the house was nicely insulated from the November gale outside, and Newt had a warm fire crackling away and a delicious smelling dinner simmering on the stove. 

“You’re looking fancy,” Tina remarked as Newt got himself dressed for dinner, “what’s the occasion?”

“The occasion is us,” Newt said with a wink, “though of course, you don’t need to dress up if you don’t want to.”

“Nah, we’ve got a theme going, I’m all for it,” Tina grinned, “though I didn’t bring anything, so I’ll have to transfigure something.”

Newt watched her adoringly as she waved her wand around to change into an elegant silver beaded dress. It was a bit outdated, but very nostalgic, evoking the era of their earliest days together. 

“You know, I still remember the first time I saw you do that,” he whispered in her ear as he wrapped an arm around her waist, “the Blind Pig, do you remember?”

“Morrigan, I was so embarrassed,” Tina giggled.

“I was mesmerized by your beauty,” Newt sighed, then, pulling her tighter against him, “and I am just as mesmerized by your beauty now, a decade later.”

“You are such a flatterer,” Tina smacked his shoulder jokingly, “now, what’s for dinner?”

Newt escorted her downstairs as though he were taking her to a fine restaurant, and led her near the roaring fire, where he’d set up a table for two, with a single rose in a vase and a bottle of champagne for them to share.

“Why, Mr. Scamander, you’ve outdone yourself!” Tina exclaimed, as he pulled out a chair for her and summoned over their meal, to serve itself. He tapped the champagne bottle with his wand, and it opened and rose to pour two perfect glasses. The couple clinked glasses and happily began their date, laughing, joking, and chatting about this and that. It felt wonderful to just be their old selves again. 

“I wonder what the kids are up to?” Tina pondered, as she twirled her spaghetti around her fork.

“Something way more fun than they would be doing if we were home,” Newt shrugged, “and I suppose we should endeavor to have at least as much fun while we’re here. Care to dance?” he asked with a raised eyebrow, pointing his wand toward a phonograph in the corner.

“Absolutely!” Tina smiled widely as Newt took both her hands in his and led her out to the middle of the living room.

Just as their parents had predicted, the kids were indeed having a delightful time with their uncles. 

“Now, kids, we have three whole days to bake as much as you want,” Jacob insisted, “but it’s way past your bedtime now, we need to tuck you guys in! Your mom and dad are gonna kill us if they find out how late we’re letting you guys stay up!”

“Pleeeeease!” Yael begged, “can we please stay up just a little longer, please, Uncle Jacob? Mummy and Daddy will never know, we promise not to tell!”

“I wanna make more pie!” Ari demanded, “and I promise not to tell!”

Jacob couldn’t help chuckling. “Well, I need to clean up from all the baking we did tonight. Can’t make more of anything till we straighten up. Besides, I’m gonna need to go out and buy more ingredients!” Jacob gestured to the table, groaning under the weight of all the pies, danishes, paczkis, and beignets they’d already made. 

“But, you can each take one more biscuit before bed,” Theseus smiled indulgently, handing each child a fresh baked sugar cookie.

“Theseus, you spoil ‘em worse than Newt does!” Jacob laughed.

“Uncle’s rights!” Theseus retorted, “now, children, if you hurry into bed, I’ll tell you my best stories about your father when he was a child.”

“Oooh, goody! I want daddy stories!” Ari squealed, bouncily following Theseus to the room.

“Was daddy a very naughty boy, Uncle Theseus?” Yael chimed in, following them, “was he?”

“Oh yes,” Theseus grinned almost wickedly, “your daddy was the naughtiest boy in all of Britain…”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Jacob guffawed, “you know what, clean up can wait, I want to hear all about baby Newt too!” and off he went to help Theseus tuck the kids in. 

Although it was 1936, nearly 1937, on this night, Newt and Tina were back in the 20s. Newt had the phonograph playing all their old favorites from their early days together, and they danced the night away as though no one was watching (because, well, no one was watching). They danced to upbeat jazzy tunes, and slower waltzy ones.

After one very swingy number, the music slowed again, and Tina brought her arms around Newt’s neck as he brought his around her waist. As they slowly rocked back and forth, Tina realized something was special about this one.

“Newt,” she whispered, choking up with happy tears, “this...this was the song we had our first dance to, at our wedding!”

“Indeed it is, love,” Newt held her closer, and looked into her shining salamander eyes. She gazed back into his sea green eyes, and in a split second, their lips were together. The electricity that shot through them was something they hadn’t felt in years. 

Tina was combing her fingers through the hair on Newt’s neck, while Newt gripped her tight and tipped her back. Tina opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and felt Newt’s tongue slide in. She then righted herself so that she could grip his lapels and pull him closer, as though drinking from him. Newt dropped his hands to the small of her back. The music was still playing, but they weren’t dancing anymore, just swaying to the rhythm as they kissed, fiercely and passionately, under a beam of moonlight trickling in through the window. 

Eventually, Newt broke off the kiss to whisper in Tina’s ear, “shall we take this upstairs?”

“Please…” was her reply.

Newt swept her off her feet and carried her up to their room bridal style. He carried her over the threshold, just as he’d done on their wedding night, and set her down at the edge of the bed. 

“Tell me how you want this,” Newt said, almost pleading, “tell me, and I’ll follow your lead.”

Tina turned around with a coy smile, showing Newt the back of her dress. He came up behind her and began undoing the hooks. He trailed kisses along her neck as he undid her dress, causing her to sigh raggedly.

“Oh, I do love to hear you like that,” Newt breathed against her skin.

“Don’t stop…” Tina moaned, as Newt undid the last hook, and she allowed her dress to fall away.

Now in only her step ins, Tina turned back around to start working on Newt. It was his turn to sigh with pleasure as she undid his bowtie and unbuttoned his shirt, and planted kisses on every inch of skin she could reach. 

When Newt’s shirt fell away, Tina began to trace his scars with her fingers. She started with the oldest ones, the ones that had been there at least as long she’d been with him. Of course, the scarred landscape had not stayed exactly the same in all these years; new ones were added with fair regularity. And while Tina was certainly never happy to hear about yet another injury, in time, she always incorporated the new addition seamlessly whenever she touched him.

While Tina tenderly traced and kissed his scars, Newt worked her step ins off. Newt admired her naked body as they fell to the floor. “Merlin, Tina,” he gasped, as though he were seeing her for the first time. He reached for her breasts, and cupped them, one in each hand, before running his thumbs over her nipples.

Tina moaned, which further encouraged Newt’s ministrations. While he rubbed and flicked her nipples with his fingers, Tina worked on getting Newt’s pants off, which she managed to do quickly enough despite the waves of pleasure running through her. 

When Newt was bare, he stopped for a moment to let Tina take in the sight of him. “Newt,” she whispered, “take me home…”

“Always,” he whispered back, before pulling her towards him. They held each other tight and kissed fiercely, relishing in the feeling of their bodies flush against each other, with nothing between them. They then tumbled together into the bed, still gripping each other tight and kissing some more. 

Once in bed, they began to really reacquaint themselves. Newt kissed his way down Tina’s neck and along her collarbone, until he reached her breasts. He took one hardened nipple in his mouth and dragged his tongue along it. Tina cried out loudly. Newt continued swirling his tongue around, delighting in Tina’s indecent moaning, while flicking her other nipple with his fingers. Tina ran her fingers roughly through Newt’s hair while he toyed with her breasts.

“More...don’t stop…” she cried out.

Newt released the breast he was suckling with a slight pop. “You sure?” he raised a teasing eyebrow, “I would think you might like me to stop so that we can move on to the next step…” He ran a finger along her seam, and found her already wet. Her thighs began to tremble.

“Oh, you know what I mean,” she panted.

Newt went back to her breasts for a few more moments before starting to kiss and lick his way downwards. Tina ran her fingers up and down Newt’s back as he worked his way down her body. She reached for his long, hard length, but he stopped her.

“Right now, I’m taking care of you,” he told her, planting small kisses along her thighs. They hadn’t done things this way in a while, and they both realized they had quite missed it as Newt reached her core and sighed dizzily over it, just before taking her in his mouth.

He started slow, almost tentatively, gently probing with his tongue, then, with more encouragement from the sounds he elicited from her, he dove in, wrapping his entire mouth around her bud. It had been so long since he’d done this for her that he could already feel her stiffening as she scaled the crest, and within moments, the wave broke and she was overtaken with intense pleasure.

Tina herself couldn’t believe how long she’d gone since she last had such a full and massive orgasm. “Sweet Morrigan…” she breathed out, then, “oh Newt…”

Newt came back up and kissed her, the taste of herself on his lips arousing her further. “I can do that again for you…” he breathed against her lips.

“Inside…” was all Tina could say.

“As you wish, my dearest,” Newt replied, taking himself in hand and guiding himself into her right away. They sighed in unison and he slid in. Newt propped himself up with one hand, and stroked Tina’s face with the other, before taking her hand in his. Tina’s hair was splayed out against the pillow and her cheeks were flushed as she panted. 

“Let me watch you this time,” Newt pleaded, as he began to move inside her. Tina merely answered with a blissful moan.

Newt continued to thrust, and Tina, having regained some composure, matched his rhythm. She ground herself against him, seeking a new buildup of friction, and soon, she found herself once again building toward a climax. Newt could feel her clenching around him as she built up, and moved faster and more frantically to give her what she sought, never taking his eyes off her face.

He let go of her hand to flick her nipples, something he remembered always helped her along. Tina was thrusting faster and harder, moaning loader.

Newt was getting pretty close to his own edge, but held back, wanting to make sure Tina got one more first. 

“I’ve got you, Tina,” he crooned, “come for me, love, I’ll catch you.” He gave a hard thrust, and gave one of her nipples a small flick, and Tina tumbled over the edge once more. 

“Newt!” she cried out loudly, going slack in his arms. 

Now able to let go, Newt gave two more quick thrusts. “Tina!” he shouted as he came apart himself, filling her with his release. Then, he too slackened, relaxing on top of her as she embraced him tightly. 

They both lay there, still connected, for several minutes as their breathing regulated. Then, after he slipped out, Newt rolled off and lay beside her. Tina rolled into his open arms, they both smiled as they held each other tight and kissed lazily in the moonlight filtering through their window. 

“Mmmm,” Tina sighed against Newt’s chest, “that was wonderful. Just like old times... Remember when we were first married, and we used to do it twice a day?”

“I do,” Newt sighed happily, holding her closer, “though it’s no simple matter these days. Alas, your husband is an old man now.”

“You’re not even forty!” Tina giggled.

“That statement will only be true for a few more months,” Newt frowned. 

“And you’re not half bad for almost forty,” Tina smirked, running her hands over his toned torso, and the scars so familiar to her she could trace them in her sleep, “you’re still just as fit as you were the first time I saw you.”

“And you are just as beautiful as you were when I first saw you,” Newt replied, tracing his fingers over Tina’s body. 

“I don’t understand how you can say that,” she grimaced, “I’m all stretched out and saggy in weird places.”

Newt was not about to let that remark go unchallenged. He lightly ran his fingers down Tina’s body, stopping at her stomach.

“These,” Newt traced his fingers over the faded, silvery stretch marks on her belly, “these marks show where you carried our children. And these,” he cupped her breasts with his hands, and ran his fingers over the slight stretch marks she had there, “these nourished them in their earliest days. There is nothing, absolutely nothing in the world more beautiful to me than the body that gave me the two greatest gifts in the world.”

Newt brought Tina closer and kissed her, hard and fierce. She ran her fingers through his hair as she deepened the kiss. Quickly, she felt her husband growing hard against her thigh.

“I thought you were too old to have a second go in one night,” she smirked suggestively.

“I think I can manage once in a while,” Newt replied with a boyish grin, “besides, we’re making up for lost time here…” With that, he rolled on top of her, and the couple had little time for banter after that. 

In fact, they barely left the bed at all for the rest of the weekend. It was indeed a special time for getting to know each other again. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t been as available as I should have been,” Tina sighed painfully, snuggling against Newt after they’d finished on the last night before going home.

“Hush, love,” Newt kissed her forehead, “it wasn’t you. I should have been a better husband to you.”

“I’ve been a lousy wife for years…” Tina said plaintively.

“You haven’t,” Newt insisted, with another kiss, “and even if you were, I was a pretty lousy husband during that same time...Tina, never forget, it was you who saved us. You were the one who insisted we go for help. It’s thanks to you we’ve found each other again, you know…”

They shared a long languid kiss once more. “You know,” she remarked, as they broke apart, “we need to make sure we keep this up. That we don’t fall into a pattern where we forget to, well, take some time for ourselves,” she grinned suggestively at Newt, as he stroked her body. 

“Yes,” he agreed, “I do think we understand a lot more than we did when we first started counseling...I think we’re aware enough to keep on top of things.”

Tina smiled and drew him in for another kiss. When they got up in the morning, they had one more quick coupling before packing to go home.

“I had a wonderful time with you,” Newt said as they closed up the cottage, presumably until they went back as a family in the summer.

“Me too,” Tina smiled softly, then cupped his cheek and looked at him, “but I look forward to having more good times together back at home. In our own bed.”

“As do I,” Newt kissed her forehead softly, “it will be a bit more of a challenge, but I suppose that is the point, isn’t it? To make that time happen, even when things get hectic and out of control.”

The refreshed and happy couple returned, ready to pick up where they’d left off. They thanked Jacob and Theseus for looking after the kids (even though they had clearly returned to a pair of hyper, oversugared, and underslept offspring) and took their children down to the basement to enjoy some quality family time with the creatures. Indeed, they were a wild family, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the lemonade! Don't forget to comment, and do come back tomorrow for the conclusion!


	13. We can learn to love again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Tina are doing much better, and enjoying their family- and each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! We have reached the end of this difficult ride! This is short and I guess a sort of epilogue to wrap things up.

_ Four months later _

“So you guys are done? Graduating from counseling?” Jacob asked with a proud smile as Newt helped him close up the bakery one evening. Tina had the afternoon off and was setting up dinner with the kids while Newt ran some errands, including picking up dessert from Jacob.

“Well, as Deanna says, self improvement isn’t something that’s ever really done, and we probably will be checking in with her from time to time,” Newt explained, “but in the sense that we no longer need to see her regularly, and Tina and I are happier than ever...I suppose that yes, we are done. And we have you to thank, you know…”

“Don’t mention it,” Jacob clapped him on the back, “I’m so happy for you guys. I knew you could do it! You and Tina, you’ve got something special there, don’t you ever forget it!” 

“Oh, we’ll try not to,” Newt smiled, “and if we ever do, we know who to call to set us straight. I really cannot thank you enough for pushing us to get help, Jacob.”

“It really is amazing what a year can do,” Jacob remarked, “now, I imagine you need to get back, you’ve got your beautiful family waiting for you.”

“Indeed,” Newt waved as he made his way out the door, “see you tomorrow for some breakfast!”

He came back home with a bag full of desserts, just as Tina was finishing setting the table. His children squealed and jumped on him as he came through the door, chattering incessantly about various things they wanted to tell him. 

“Pipe down,” Tina said, though much more bemused than scolding, “we’ve got all of dinner to share everything about our day with each other.”

The little family had a lively dinner together. Tina shared the news of how the final paperwork was approved today and her kin from Germany would be coming to England by the end of the month. “You’re going to have some new cousins to play with!” she told the children, while she and Newt shared a significant look, expressing relief that Tina’s relatives were going to make it safely out of dangerous Germany. 

“I lost another tooth today!” Yael grinned, showing her parents the latest gap in her smile, “but Arabella Figg told me the tooth fairy-”

“Hush now!” Newt stopped her, “don’t spoil the fun for your little brother!”

“When am I going to lose a tooth?” Ari wanted to know.

“Soon enough,” Tina assured him, “be patient, Are’leh.”

“I learned some new letters today!” Ari stated proudly.

“That’s wonderful!” Newt smiled, “soon, you’ll be reading bedtime stories to mummy and I!”

“Oh no!” Ari frowned, “but I like when you read me stories…”

“Don’t worry,” Yael patted her little brother’s head kindly, “I know how to read, and they still read me bedtime stories!”

“Indeed, it’s our favorite time of day,” Tina assured both her children, “and speaking of which, it’s almost time for that now!”

Newt and Tina worked quickly and together to clear up dinner, and put the children to bed together. When they were done, they stood in the doorway, arms around each other, and stared fondly at their sleeping children, Yael curled up with her stuffed unicorn, and Ari with his stuffed niffler, still sucking his thumb as he always did when he slept. The parents knew they were going to have to get to work on ending that habit, but it didn’t have to be tonight.

“Look at them,” Tina sighed happily, “such wonderful kids. We really do have it so good.”

“Can you believe what a fantastic little family we’ve made?” Newt agreed, kissing her temple softly, as she hummed in agreement. They stood there a few more moments, basking in the peaceful scene, before Newt headed down to finish up his evening rounds with the creatures. Tina relaxed on the couch with a book, waiting for him to come back up.

When Newt returned to the living room after finishing downstairs, he sort of snuck up on Tina, grabbing her in his arms and holding her close. Tina squealed with delight, and Newt captured her lips with his to muffle her. 

“Hush, love,” he whispered against her lips, “we don’t want to wake the children!”

Tina swallowed another giggle as she pulled Newt in for another kiss. He wrapped one arm tightly around her waist, and brought his other hand up to tangle in her hair, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. Tina tugged at Newt's bangs, and wrestled him closer.

They both moved against each other, with continued muffled giggles, shifting ever closer as they continued passionately and heatedly kissing on the sofa. “Shall we take this to our room,” Newt managed to pant out breathily between kisses. Tina quickly mashed her lips back into his in reply, and Newt was just scooping her up to whisk her into their room to take things further, when they were interrupted by a small voice. 

“Ewwww! Gross!” Yael stood before them in her nightgown, holding a glass of water and wrinkling her nose, “so much kissing! Yuck!”

Newt and Tina both dissolved into laughter at that. “I’m sorry, princess, did you like it better when mummy and I were arguing all the time?” Newt teased his young daughter as soon as he caught his breath. He was still holding Tina loosely around the waist, as she rested her head demurely on his shoulder. 

Yael thought for a moment. “I suppose kissing is much better than arguing,” she admitted, before tiptoeing back into her room, “goodnight!” she waved at her parents before closing the door.

Newt and Tina stared after her for a few moments, making sure she was really and truly back in bed, before bursting into silent giggles again. 

“Well, then, where were we?” Newt whispered suggestively in Tina’s ear.

“I do believe you were in the process of taking me to bed, Mr. Scamander,” Tina whispered back with a coy smile.

“And would Mrs. Scamander like to pick up where we left off?”

“Yes, please!”

Without a further word, Newt scooped Tina back up, and they stumbled, still kissing passionately, into their room, locking the door behind them. Everything was just as it should be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for sticking with me through this ride! Especially when I kind of disappeared in the middle. I couldn't have done this without Kemara's help and support!
> 
> Tomorrow, I will be posting a one-shot sequel, so keep an eye out for that!

**Author's Note:**

> For now I plan to update once a week. When I have it all written out, I will probably update more often. There is also a chance the rating may upgrade to M later on, but if it does, it would only be because I decide to throw in some smut, not for any other reason. 
> 
> Note on children's names: I gave them Jewish names to honor Tina's Jewish heritage that are also animal names because, duh (a lot of classic Jewish names are names of animals). Yael means ibex, which is a sort of Middle Eastern gazelle (and there is also a super badass Biblical woman named Yael). Ari means lion.


End file.
